What Have I Gotten Me Into?
by GoldenJedi
Summary: HL Sequel to The Best I Can Do, during RotJ.
1. Chapter 1

This is the sequel to _The Best I Can Do_, covering H&L relationship during RotJ. Like the other one, it was beta-read by **VaderLVR64**, and of course, I own nothing. Enjoy and review! G.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

_Dear Han. _

_It sounds weird, but it is the proper heading now, isn't it? _

_Dear Han. _

_My scoundrel. _

_My dearest nerfherder. _

_You'll probably never read this words, although I hope (no, I know!) the reason would be because I will have the opportunity of saying them to you, personally and intimately, a thousand times. _

_I miss you. _

_I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. _

_I miss you so much that at times it seems that I can't breathe, and my heart and my head are pounding so hard I feel they're going to explode. It's been only a week and a half since that Monster froze you in the carbonite but it feels like eternity. Where in the galaxy are you? Chewie and Lando have been in Tatooine already for four days, but there's no sign of you or Fett yet. _

_Poor Chewie. He felt so miserable in the voyage back. I did my best to support him, but I wasn't in a better shape than he was. But we had Luke to care for and that kept us in line. BTW, Lando's ego has been flattened to the height of a monomolecular film and he's stoically endured all of Chewie's cursing so far. Some from me too, although part of me understands his reasons. But I cannot forgive his naiveté in his dealing with Vader. _

_I wonder if you are conscious in your cold slab. I've researched the holo-net, but found nothing about humans frozen in carbonite. I've had this disturbing dream, though, about the suffocating cold. _

_I'll say goodbye for the night now, but I'm sure I'll dream of you, like I do every night. I just needed someone to talk, and - surprise! – guess whom I have been talking to the last few months? I must have grown used to it. Luke is in no shape to hear my ramblings and besides, I don't know how to address this issue with him. This issue being you and I. _

_I'm very worried about Luke, something happened to him in the months we were separated. He didn't go to the rendezvous point. He says he's been training, but he doesn't want to tell where. Plus, he had a close call with Vader in Bespin and he lost his right hand. You wouldn't recognize him, Han. There's so little left of the boy we met a few years ago. Only the pain in his eyes remains. _

_See you in my dreams, flyboy. _

_Yours, _

_Leia.

* * *

_

_Still very worried about Luke, Han. I tried to make him talk, without much success. Did he tell you that he saw Obi-Wan Kenobi in Hoth, right before you found him? I don't know what to believe. But it's true that I heard him, somehow, and knew exactly where he was, back in Bespin. That's how we found him. Maybe that's how you found him too, that night. But this was strange, because I heard him in the same way I heard Vader before, you know? In fact, at first I thought it was Vader intruding in my mind again. _

_NO, I won't speak of Vader. I hate him.

* * *

_

_Not-so-dear-anymore Han. _

_If I had you in range, I think I'd shoot you without regret right now, Han. Just to stun, so I could do it again immediately after you regain consciousness. _

_Have you any idea how many women have knocked on my door so far, volunteering for the rescue party? There have been offerings from guys too, all right, Rogue Squadron did it in a big way, but they didn't knock on my door at ungodly hours. They sent a proper formal note via comm. But the women, they seem to prefer to come with their cover stories (didn't know you had so many "special friends", when did you actually sleep, for (inconvenient) sake?) late at the night cycle, when there are less people in the halls. And there also seems to be an unusual amount of tall blondes among this group. _

_But I can understand them. If you were a tenth as beautiful to them that you were to me, I can understand them. Don't expect me to be so understanding with you, though. _

_Oh, no. Somebody's knocking again. You're going to pay for this, Captain Han Too-Many-Hands Solo.

* * *

_

_Oh, Goddess, it's three in the morning and I can't sleep. You managed to slip into my dreams again, flyboy. I heard you saying that you loved me and then I woke up crying. I'm a mess again. I miss your voice, Han, your touch, your... everything. _

_What have I gotten me into?

* * *

_

_I think I'm pregnant. _

_I'm two days late and I'm never late. Why wouldn't you have more shots on board??? Isn't your motto "Always Ready"? Don't you know that women's shots are less reliable???? One full point of a percentage less reliable!!! _

_I've been dreaming of this baby with your eyes, you nerfherder. I've become afraid of my dreams, because they have a strange tendency to become real. I couldn't find out if it was a boy or a girl, though. _

_But I can't go to the med-center and ask for a test, can I? I'll have to wait, I guess.

* * *

_

_I'm not pregnant. I should be relieved but I feel like crying. _

_Again.

* * *

_

_A few weeks ago, when I was so afraid that you would leave me, I never imagined that it would be this way. Not because of Vader's doing. And yet, you're not totally gone, because I have this feeling we will meet again. I've dreamt of it. _

_I look at the stars so dear to us both and know you are there, somewhere.

* * *

_

_Father told me more than once about the things Jedi could do, but I guess you sometimes have to see to believe. _

_Luke let me watch him training today and what he can do is simply amazing. I couldn't stop watching him, he's simply fascinating. He hinted to me that he found one of the Masters that are still hiding. _

_There is still some connection between us. Sometimes I think I still can sense what he's feeling, what he's thinking. But it's a fledgling sensation and I don't know what to think about it. Luke insinuated that I might be Force-sensitive too. I think he feels lonely.

* * *

_

_I had a big argument with Mon today. She doesn't want me to "waste" more time searching for you. I told her that the Alliance doesn't abandon one of our people, that that was what differences us from the Empire, and that for all practical purposes except in the papers, you were ours. But what I wanted really to shout is that you are mine as much as I'm yours, and abandon you would be as much as committing suicide. Because how could I possibly live without your rakish smile in my life? _

_I should have thrown the truth in Mon's face but I didn't. I'm a coward, I know. I never put much thought on what would I do after Bespin. I didn't want to. But I know that my feelings for you won't do any good to Mon's disposition to aid us right now. _

_I'm sorry, Han. I feel like I'm betraying you. _

_This is not living.

* * *

_

_It was my Naming Day today, Han! I'm officially twenty-four standard years old. The people here where I'm staying threw me a party. They were very sweet and yet I felt so alone! I missed your customary Naming Day prank, flyboy. Everybody was sooooo respectful. I wish I hadn't burnt those (inconvenient) undergarments you gave me last year. _

_When Carlist put a cup of Freyin's in my hand, I almost choked with the mandatory toast. Remember the bottle we drank the night before Bespin? I remember it very well. _

_I remember that I (inconvenient) and then you (inconvenient). _

_(inconvenient), I don't remember how to deactivate the Family-Friendly filter of this (inconvenient) datapad. _

_Now that I think, that is a good title for a cheap novel, "The (inconvenient) Night Before Bespin." _

_I missed Father and my family too, but I'm already used to that. Isn't it terrible that you get so used to not having someone in your life that you stop missing her or him? I know you know what I'm talking about. But that won't be happening to us, Han. _

_(inconvenient), I think I'm drunk. Miss you, big boy. I really do.

* * *

_

_Tatooine is as awful as you told me, Han. We've been inquiring about you and Fett for weeks and nobody seems to know anything about your whereabouts. I hate it here. I feel... uncomfortable, like if someone was poking at me all the time. _

_We went to old Kenobi's hut today because Luke needed a few things to put together a new lightsaber. He lost his old on1e in Bespin, along with his hand. The prosthetic is working very well, thank the Goddess, and he has his old skills back and a few new ones too. _

_It's strange how changed he is. He almost never smiles now.

* * *

_

_Can you believe it? I've been to Coruscant and back again. Tricky business. _

_Ask me about (inconvenient) Xizor some day, preferentially if I'm very drunk. Maybe you should be drunk too. _

_I'm so very grateful for Chewie.

* * *

_

_Tomorrow is the big day, Han. We'll try getting you out tomorrow. _

_No. _

_As Luke says, we won't try, we'll do it. _

_Luke's plan is crazy and he's putting a lot of faith in his newly acquired abilities, but somehow, as always, I trust him. _

_Even though, I can't stop thinking of that dream I had back in our way to Bespin. That dream where you lay somewhere underground, so quiet, so... no, I won't write it. Jabba's palace lays underground. But I had other dreams since then. _

_I should be sleeping now to be in top form in the morning but I simply can't. _

_Oh, yeah, and they don't have (inconvenient) undergarments in this forsaken planet. Maybe that's why it's so scantily populated. _

_I've reread all of these ramblings and noticed that I didn't write down once that I love you. Maybe I still have a problem with those words. But I do love you, desperately, terribly, thoroughly, completely. I just hope you were telling me the truth when you said that you knew, because I know you're capable of lying convincingly. That I still love you will be the first thing I'll say to you tomorrow, Han. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Boussh pressed the defrost command of the carbonite slab. Inside the disguise, Leia Organa commended the man she loved to the goddess of her people. _This is what you want, right Han? _She asked silently.

The lights blinked and the metal surface started to glow. Han Solo's lips moved slightly and then the carbonite disolved completely and he collapsed heavily to the damp floor.

There he lay face down on the ground, limp and pale, no breath in his lungs, no pumping of his heart. Just like the Princess had seen him so many times in her dreams. Her heart joined his for a still moment.

Then suddenly every system in his body came to life again, blood running in his veins, sweat sweeping the toxins from months out of his pores, shaking hands trying to recognize the dark surroundings.

"I can't see," he said hoarsely. Something pricked at his neck and his hand found the hard face - helmet? - of his rescuer. Everything was so confusing. What had he said...? Something about hibernation sickness? To coordinate his thought was so difficult, it seemed as if all of his cognitive processes were trying to start at the same time, and the result was chaos.

The cloud cleared something, somehow, and he suddenly recognized the voice, albeit the meaning of the words got lost.

"Leia!"

Her sweet lips over his opened the floodgates and everything came back at once. All the sweet kisses from the past, al the caresses, all the tears, all the fights, in random order.

"I've got to get you out of here," she said, helping him to stand. His legs seemed enough strong to support him now, and he was feeling better by the second. Then he heard another voice, also familiar but in a dreadful way, and he knew exactly where he was. And why.

They were in trouble. Big trouble.

* * *

The High Princess of Alderaan ogled the skimpy dancer outfit Jabba's employees had provided her with. They had made very clear that if she did not comply, Han would suffer the consequences. 

"Well, I wanted some sensual undergarments, didn't I?" She mumbled, fidgeting with the thin straps. "The things I do for you, flyboy..."

The biggest irony of all was that Han would probably be the only one that would not see her in it.

* * *

Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa landed with a loud thud on the skiff. 

"Let's go, and don't forget the droids!" The Jedi ordered even before his feet were completely on the deck. Lando obeyed without questioning and the small vessel accelerated steadily after picking up Threepio and Artoo.

The Princess let go of Luke and jumped unabashedly right into Han Solo's arms, her mouth covering his in a fervent kiss. The younger man observed them for a moment, fighting the sharp pang of envy that assaulted him. It was not jealousy because Leia so obviously loved Han and not him; he had gotten over those feelings months ago. It had been so obvious the change in her. Every time someone mentioned Han, her mood would go dark and her eyes threatened to be flooded with tears. She masked it very well, that was true, but she could not hide it from him.

No, it was not jealousy anymore. It was just longing for the one thing that he knew he could never have. Because what sane woman would love the son of Vader like that? With purpose, he turned his gaze to the exploding sail barge. Just in case someone was following them, he told himself.

The lovers remembered after a few moments that they were not alone and broke the kiss, but neither of them loosened their embrace.

"What are you wearing?" Han suddenly asked, feeling Leia's bare back under his hands. His sight may not have fully recovered, but his other senses were as sharp as ever.

The Princess reddened deeply. "Jabba's idea of a business outfit," she answered.

"I'll kill the slug for this," the smuggler swore angrily.

"Too late. I already did it," Leia stated and the smuggler felt her shiver. Hutts were extremely difficult to kill, their physical endurance one of the secrets of their success as crime lords. Even a direct hit with a blaster did not have much effect on them.

"How...?" He started.

"She strangled him with her chain," Luke interrupted, turning his face from the sand. He had taken out his outer tunic and stepped closer to cover Leia's shoulders with it. For an awkward moment, all of the males on board fixed their gazes on the tiny Princess. She thanked him for the garment silently, but did not let go of Han.

"I was... angry," she finally confessed into his chest.

Lando let out an amazed whistle.

I bet you were! Chewbacca laughed sympathetically, clutching his sore ribs.

Han Solo just held her more tightly. _Sweet Corellian stars.

* * *

_

The sandstorm was picking up, but the seven friends did not try to avoid it.

"I can't see anythin'!" Han shouted in Leia's ear.

"Nobody can!" She shouted back.

"You sure Luke knows where we're heading?"

"Relax," she reassured him.

He was relaxed. In fact, he was too much relaxed. His legs felt like rubber and threatened to bend under him. He had to rely more and more on Leia's help as time passed. But he stubbornly kept shoving one foot in front of the other.

"The stims are wearing off," Leia informed him. "Just a few more steps, flyboy, and you can rest."

"That's what you pushed into me?"

She nodded in his shoulder but did not clarify further. A stim drug, yes, for his muscles to respond, and a sedative for his mind.

After much roaming the holo-net and digging into university files, she had discovered that they were risking more than death upon thawing him. The first minutes had been crucial for his mental health and that was why she had wanted to be the one to do it. She felt it was her duty to him as well as her right.

A few vitamins had gone to into the cocktail too. It was not that different in the end from the concoction the Imperials had forced into her during her interrogation in the Death Star and she found that fact slightly disturbing.

Suddenly the hull of the Millenium Falcon was in front of them. Good-byes were said in hurry and the group minus Luke and Artoo gratefully closed the ramp to the whirling sand and headed into space.

The Princess helped Han to reach his cabin and lay on the bunk.

"Leia, I feel so tired," he said softly, clutching her hand nervously. "And I still can't see your face."

His strained voice told her that he was about to panic, so she opened a drawer and took med-scanner out of it. She passed it several times over his body and touched it to his forehead to check his temperature. The readings were inside tolerable limits, for the time being.

"You need to sleep, Han, and I need to check on Chewie," she said, taking a hypospray and moving it towards his throat. "We'll put you in a bacta tank for a day or so when we arrive on Sullustan, so this has to last till we take you out." With a delicate gesture, she brushed her lips to his in a long and tender kiss while pressing the release button for the medicine.

"No, I don't wanna..." Han Solo protested upon closing his eyes.

"Sweet dreams, Han," the Princess said, pressing her palm to the side of his face.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Han Solo spent his first day out of the bacta tank readjusting to his life. Although less than a year had passed since he had left Hoth and the Rebels, many events had altered deeply his usual environment.

The casualties of the battle of Hoth had been dead for a long time and the grievers had moved on. His sympathies were welcomed, but were also unavoidably late. In the middle of an ongoing war, nobody wanted to go back in time.

Luke was officially a Jedi now, as weird as it sounded. He still held the rank of Commander for the Alliance, but he was not commissioned at the time. The High Command had given him a free hand to use his capabilities in the way he judged best. Chewie had told him that the young man had spent most of the time since Bespin searching for him and it was something that had moved Han deeply. The kid had repaid him in a grand way, that was for sure. Not that he had ever pretended to collect the debt, of course.

Wedge had been the CO of Rogue Squadron since Luke missed the rendezvous after Hoth. There had been a few changes in the bodies filling the cockpits as well. He did not know almost half of them. The Alliance had sustained heavy loses in personnel and facilities since the evacuation of Echo Base.

Lando was someone that had also changed deeply. Although he still donned his cape and his charm, he could see now that it was merely a mask that concealed a deep sadness and concern. He knew the symptoms well: another one that had fallen in love with the Rebels.

He could not help but recognize the symptoms in himself. His love was more focused on a certain Rebel Princess, but he could not deny the great impact that the open manifestations of affection received from many Rebels since he was back had had on him.

Those manifestations had had the side effect of leaving him almost no opportunity to be alone with Leia. Between Chewie that hovered over him like a mother with a sick child all the time regardless of his own (healing) injuries, and the constant visitors, there had been few moments to exchange some words in private. And, truth be told, there were less words than kisses in those rare minutes. He was starting to feel like a teenager boy with his first girlfriend, steeling caresses behind her parents backs.

Although they had talked endlessly for most of the seventy-six-and-a-half-days voyage, there were things they had never gotten to discuss in their way to Bespin. That private, personal voyage that had gotten them together. For example, how they would manage the social side of their relationship? Open or secret? He was not supposed to stay, so it hadn't been an issue until now. She didn't seem to want to exactly conceal it, but she looked utterly embarrassed sometimes nevertheless and avoided any intimate demonstrations in front of third parties.

Anyway, any discussion they would have had then would have been pointless now, since all the premises had changed. He was no longer in debt with Jabba. Moreover, there was no Jabba anymore. For the first time in three years, he was free to do what he really wanted to do. The only thing that he needed now was to decide exactly what he wanted to do.

Four years really. He still had to the get used to the gap. He had tried to convince Leia to fill him in about what else happened at Bespin and Jabba's Palace and generally in Leia's life in the months they were not together, but she had been stubbornly vague about it, emphasizing Luke's, Chewie's and Lando's parts in his rescue.

It had been Lando who finally told him about the thing she had endured in the hands of Vader, Xizor and Jabba and the risks she had taken for him. The old gambler seemed quite impressed with her and Han had a feeling that if he hadn't claimed her first, maybe Lando would have taken his chances. Strangely, the only thing the con artist had always been honest around was women. But he had mentioned in a whisper the mysterious way Leia had known were Luke was in Bespin during their escape and that had stirred the old jealousy in a way that the open admiration of Calrissian did not.

She had never said that she loved him and that was something that hurt. He had hoped, waited for it but it never came. But no, she did not need to say it. He tried to convince himself that he did not care at all if she said the damned words or not. It had taken him three years to recognize it; he could give her that much too. In spite of all her traumas, she had trusted and wanted him enough to share with him that magical night they had had right before Bespin, and that had to mean something. Everything else would come along, eventually. Meantime, he would make sure that she heard about and felt his love as often as possible.

Which was not near as often as he wanted or needed, because she seemed to have decided to make up to the Alliance for the time she had invested in searching for him, so the time she had been with him was next to insignificant, at least from his point of view. A brief hour after he'd been taken out of bacta, a few minutes for lunch, another quick visit in the middle of the afternoon. Well, maybe that would change when he'd be out of the ward.

His eyes had gone back to normal, the usual 20/20, and the rest of his body had come along. He had been weak as a newborn when he was taken out of bacta, but thanks to the accelerated physical therapy he was feeling much more like normal now. The tiny devices that made his muscles contract every few seconds were annoying, but not painful, and the med-droid had told him that he could take them out so he could rest in the night. Anyway, he felt a little tired still, but nothing that a good night of sleep, nutritive food and a cold gizer could not cure.

There was some memory loss, though, but Two-Onebee had said that that was perfectly normal and had engaged in a long speech about the electro-chemical basis of long-term human memory and how these processes had been interrupted by the carbon-freeze. The moments right before and after he was in the carbonite had been irremediably lost. The last thing he remembered was Leia's desperate kiss in the carbon-freezing chamber and the next was her other kiss in Jabba's lair. A sweet parenthesis with black nothing in between. He had asked the droid to keep it confidential, though, so nobody will think that he was forgetting things around. All in all, not remembering being in carbon-freeze was an unexpected blessing.

* * *

Now it was near midnight and Leia had not dropped by yet. He struggled to stay awake, but the stupid droid had medicated him, insisting that it was necessary for his quicker recovery. At least he had finally convinced Chewie to go to sleep for the night.

A soft sound woke him up more than two hours later. He looked around in the dim light of the med-ward and found the origin of it. Princess Leia was sitting on a chair by his side, but she had laid her head on the bed along with an arm that acted as a pillow. She was profoundly asleep, her lips parted allowing a little snore to be made every time she sucked air in.

Han Solo stroked gently her hair and thumbed tenderly her cheek. "Hey, Royal Snoriness, you fell asleep," he whispered in her ear. Leia woke up with a start and looked around, confused.

"I did?" She asked. Rubbing her eyes, she tried to compose herself, pacing the room a little to completely awaken herself. Finally, she sat on Han's bed. "Sorry."

"It's alright, Princess. I was asleep too. How long since you got a good night sleep?"

She shook her head, dismissing the question. "Too long. Between Tatooine and now... This is big, Han!" She had whispered earlier in the afternoon excitedly about the new Death Star and the gathering of the whole Alliance. "So much to do," she added thoughtfully. Changing the subject, she took his hand and looked into his eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"Better now," he affirmed, grinning. Sliding his hand behind her neck, he drew her to him to demonstrate it with a slow kiss. Before breaking it, though, he maneuvered expertly and hauled her so she rolled over him and ended lying by him on the other side of the bed.

"_Now_ is better," he marked, securing his arms around her waist so she could not escape.

"Scoundrel," she accused with a wide smile. His lips descended over hers again, teasingly, and this time their bodies relaxed into each other as well. The Princess released a little sigh of satisfaction as they broke apart.

"I missed you so much, Han..."

It was difficult to comprehend that what had been months for her, were only a few days for him. He became suddenly serious. "There is something I wanted to ask you, Leia." But for a long while, he did not.

"Did Jabba..." He finally started. "Did he... hurt you?"

The answer was not delayed nor disguised. "Not much."

Still, he was not satisfied with the answer. "Don't lie to me, Leia, please," he asked painfully, "I know how he was with girls..."

"I said he did not hurt me, understood?" The Princess energetically said, taking his face in her hands and forcing him to eye her. He nodded.

"I love you, Princess."

Her answer was as extreme as unexpected. Her face cringed and her eyes flooded with tears and soon she was crying with loud sobs into his shoulder. He just managed to insert a _Hey, sweetheart, it's not that bad_, when she seemed to calm down, only to be answered with renewed sobs.

At last, she really calmed down and managed to say in a soft whisper: "I was so scared..."

Han kissed her tresses tenderly. Then her still wet cheeks and her nose and her chin and her parted mouth. His lips went down her throat later and his hands down her spine.

The Princess suddenly remembered that they were in a semi-public place, were someone could walk on them any minute. "Stop Han," she said breathlessly.

"I'm drugged, I'm not responsible for my acts," he answered smugly, tugging at her blouse's buttons.

"You can't fool me anymore, Captain Solo," she exclaimed teasingly, pushing him away a little. "I _know_ you are capable of being a gentleman!" Kissing his scar, she bargained. "This is the deal: you behave, I stay."

The Corellian frowned lopsidedly. "Alright, that blasted droid will come prick me anytime, anyway. I bet he's a relative of Threepio." Then he added as a second thought, hopefully: "What if you don't behave?"

* * *

"For that reason, your sister has remained safely anonymous," the blue Force-ghost of Obi-Wan Kenobi concluded.

Luke Skywalker shook his head, incredulous. But suddenly, a revelation hit him.

"Leia! Leia is my sister!"

* * *

The Princess stirred in her sleep and that woke Han up. Holding her closer, he kissed her brow.

"Luke..." she muttered. "Oh, _Luke..._"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The Princess entered the med-ward with a tray and the five Rogues that were visiting Han Solo stood up at once, saluted and left them alone in a hurry.

"What's wrong with them?" she asked, sitting by him on the bed and placing the tray between them.

"I think they heard of your dealin' with Jabba," he answered with a wink.

"That's not funny," she frowned, uncovering two plates of Alderaanian stew.

The smuggler opened both juice containers. "Maybe someone noticed where you spent last night," he said, studying her reaction.

Chewie had woken them up early in the morning but, from the comments of the pilots, it was evident that someone had walked in on them unnoticed. With all the people coming from different places in the galaxy, the local nighttime was as busy as the day. The gossip that Leia had slept in his bed seemed to have spread at the speed of light around the base but the little detail that she had been completely dressed was lost somewhere along the way.

"You think?" Her face turned a lovely crimson color.

The smuggler took her hand. Massaging her fingers, he asked gravely: "Is that a problem?"

"No," she hurried to say. "No, not really... I just have to get used to it, I guess."

At least she was smiling. "So do I," he grinned back. He was glad she had not heard the jokes the pilots were making about them right before she came in. If she had, she wouldn't have asked why they retired so quickly. They meant well, but the jokes were probably a little rough for the Princess's taste.

As they ate, he tried to keep out of his mind that little incident that worried him much more than the rumors. For a second, he considered asking her about it, maybe throwing out an innocent question about her dreams. He decided it was better not to do it.

All right, she was talking in her sleep about Luke last night. It was not the first time; it would probably not be the last. If he intended to spend more nights with Leia, he better got used to it. They had that strange connection that he did not understand. But he could not believe that she was playing a two-sided game. She was not that kind of woman. If there was, or had been, something of the romantic kind between her and Luke, she would have probably talked to him about it by now, right? The same way she had told him about Darek and the other suitors she had had.

And to be fair, _he_ had not told _her_ either about all the women he had been with. He had not told her even about Bria, or about the ones in the Alliance. On one hand, he felt that chapter of his life closed and concluded. All those women, Bria included, paled and vanished in Leia's bright light. Why would he talk about something he did not care anymore? On the other hand, he had been afraid that Leia would run away from him at maximum speed. She had not asked and he had not volunteered the information.

Anyhow, she was here with him now, behaving around him almost as she had back in the _Falcon_, and that was all that mattered. He had to get out of this bed as soon as possible, though. And do something to put him on the same ground that Luke, just in case.

* * *

General Carlist Rieekan entered the med-ward of the Alliance base on Sullustan. All the beds where empty, except for one at the end of the room, concealed by a screen. He did not go there at once, but to the med-station where a Two-OneBee was supervising the patient life-signs.

"How is Captain Solo doing?" He asked.

"Better than expected, Sir. No permanent damage. He's due another physical therapy session this afternoon, but I'll release him tomorrow morning if nothing else comes up," the dutiful droid answered.

The echo of raised voices reached them then.

"But I feel perfectly fine, Princess," Han Solo argued.

"You stay in that bed or I'll get you restrained myself, Han," Princess Leia angry voice answered.

"Yeah? How are you planning to do that?" His cockiness seeped across the room.

The Princess comeback was inaudible, but it was followed by a crash sound and a sudden change in all of Han Solo's lifesigns. Silent alarms alerted the med-droid, who started his way to his patient.

_She probably decked him,_ General Rieekan thought, following the droid. _The bases have been too quiet without their quarrels, anyway._

But as he rounded the screen in tow of the Two-Onebee, the scene unfolded before them made him hastily throw a hand on the droid's vocalizer and insistently tug on him until he understood that they must retire.

Once back in the med-station, he tried to explain to him that Solo's lifesigns alterations were perfectly normal.

Of course, any man who had a woman wrapped so closely around him, kissing him with such intensity would have his stats go wild. The couple had laid half-sprawled over the bed, in a way that left no doubt about whom was the aggressor. A tray with food leftovers had slipped to the floor and that was probably the origin of the crash sound.

He had always suspected that that was bound to happen, sooner or later. And after several months in close quarters on their way to Bespin, if they hadn't killed each other, the only other option was... Oh, well, the intimate scene he had walked upon spoke books about the current state of their relationship.

After several minutes, the General decided that he had given the couple enough time and waked back around the screen, this time making the heels of his boots resound heavily on the floor.

Han Solo was back into bed, the sheets properly draped around his waist, leaning back on a pile of pillows. Princess Leia sat across his lap, her head resting on his shoulder, her hand holding the smugglers. Neither of them acknowledged him.

Rieekan cleared his throat.

Han opened his eyes, surprised, while the Princess jolted out of the bed. There was an awkward moment in which Leia could not do much but flush, Han smiled feebly and the Alderaanian studied the tip of his boots.

"Hi, General," Han greeted finally.

"How are you doing, Solo?" Was the polite answer.

"I think I'll come back later, Han," Leia murmured before he could answer, clutching affectionately at her lover's hand.

"I'm not going anywhere, sweetheart."

Neither of them could conceal their bright smiles and Carlist Rieekan suppressed a sigh. After Leia was gone, he addressed Han again, raising an eyebrow.

"So, that's how things are going, right?"

Han Solo shrugged, but looked at the General in the eye. Rieekan was the closest thing to family Leia had left and he knew his approval was important to her.

"I love her."

His straightforward and earnest answer surprised the older man. He studied the Corellian for a while, as if weighting the truthfulness of his words. At last, he spoke.

"You had better, Solo, because if you break her heart, you'll have a hell of a lot of angry people on your tail..." The voice was calm but firm and spoke of steeled resolution.

Han swallowed hard, although he knew the Alderaanian's words were said with the best of intentions. Rieekan had been the only one in the high ranks of the Alliance - besides Leia – who had not looked down on him at every opportunity.

"But that's not what I came to discuss with you, Solo," the General continued. "Leia's a grown up woman, she can make her own decisions." After a pause, he stated plainly: "We need you."

The younger man opened his mouth to answer him, but Rieekan cut him off. "No, don't answer me yet, let me finish."

He engaged then in a brief detail of the losses the Alliance had sustained, starting with Hoth and its brand new installations. The picture was not a pretty one and far more grim than the sugarcoated version told to him by Chewie and Lando.

"We have the opportunity now to strike a blow that could be the final one." He did not clarify for who the final blow it might be, but Han let it pass. "We are sorely lacking the people with the experience and training necessary to give it a fair chance of success, though," Rieekan continued. "That's where you fit in."

"What kind of experience?" The pilot seemed fairly interested now.

"Ground and space assault."

"Ah," Han was starting to understand. "Ylesia."

"And Nar Shaddaa," Rieekan added, nodding. "And the Navy."

A half smile, part proud and part ashamed graced Han Solo's strong features.

"Have you talked to Lando? He didn't go to Carida, but he has a few tricks up his sleeve. Ask him about Taanab. He'll love to tell you the story."

"I will. But I'm talking to you now. I want you to think about it. I have to warn you, though, that there won't be any payments for this."

Han's answer was quick and sure. "That won't be necessary, General. I've already been thinkin'... a lot." He took a deep breath, ran a hand through his hair and continued. "I want to join, sir."

Rieekan smiled inwardly. Chewbacca had been just right. Extending his hand, he shook the newly ex-smuggler's warmly. "Welcome back, Solo."

"Only one condition, sir," he asked. The Alderaanian nodded a go-ahead. "Don't make it public yet. I want Leia to be the first to know, and I want to tell her myself."

"Don't worry," the General laughed. "I'll manage this quietly. Anyway, the security is tighter than ever and she has been assigned to supervise the logistics of the meeting, not the strategy. She's pretty busy with all the new people arriving, you know?"

"I noticed," Han agreed.

"I'll get in touch with you again tonight or tomorrow morning," Rieekan finished before leaving with obvious satisfaction.

Slightly surprised of himself, Han Solo massaged his neck. _What have I gotten me into? _

_

* * *

_

Leia Organa walked gracefully into the med-ward. She had not seen Han since midday and she missed him terribly. She had been forced to comm him earlier and tell him that she would not make it to dinner. But now she was finally free and was hurrying to kiss him goodnight before heading to her own quarters.

No, she did not intend to spend the night here again. First, there were enough gossips rolling around the base. Second, even her willpower had a limit, and she was definitely reaching it. _The temptation could be too great_.

He soft boots made no sound on the polished ground. As she approached the end of the ward, she heard soft voices coming from Han's corner of it, like people talking in whispers. Yes, as she peeked around the screen that gave him some privacy, she saw someone sitting on his bed, and for some reason she stopped, still in the shadows, unnoticed.

Physical pain sliced through her chest as she realized that the visitor was a woman and Han seemed quite happy to see her. She had laid her hand familiarly on his knee and both were laughing. As she turned her face slightly, she recognized her.

Aralee G'Mendez. _Home One_ navigation officer. Green-eyed. Blonde. _Tall._ He would not have to bend uncomfortably to kiss her. And she was one of Han's known 'girls'.

As if her imagination had some power to influence reality, the woman leaned forward and kissed Solo on the lips.

Leia Organa ran away, quietly.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Chewie, have you seen Leia this morning?" Han Solo asked innocently, sliding into his trousers. At last the med-droid had discharged him and he was more than eager to leave the med-ward.

**No, Han**, the Wookiee answered, passing him his shirt.

"Yesterday?"

**Mid-afternoon. Did you two fight or something?** Chewbacca's blue eyes narrowed.

"No..." Han said, dubiously. "Not that I know..."

The Wookiee had learned over the years to read the slightest facial expressions of his human companion, and this one spoke plainly of guilt. **Dammit, what did you do, pal?** he asked with concern, handling him his boots. The Corellian had an uncanny ability to ruin his own life.

"Nothing... Nothing really..." he said, shrugging. "But Lee was here last night and if the Princess saw her..."

**Lee was here? You'll never learn, pal**, Chewie sentenced, shaking his head.

* * *

By the time Han discovered that the Princess had taken a shuttle at dawn to _Home One_, Rieekan had summoned him to his office. There he told him that he had an appointment with General Madine at 1600hs in the command ship.

While he waited for his turn to lift off, he tried to comm Leia. A woman he had never met before answered the call. "Good morning," she said genially, "I'm Princess Organa's assistant for the day, how can I help you?"

She had a very distinctive silvery hair in spite of her obvious young age, and spoke in a high-class Core-accented Basic.

"I need to speak to the Princess, please," he asked politely. He would be patient. Yes, he would be.

"Please declare your name and your business, sir," the Princess's aide answered.

"I'm Captain Han Solo and my business with the Princess is private," he replied, winking at her.

"Ah, the famous Captain Solo," the woman smiled beatifically.

"The famous Winter, I suppose." Now he recalled what Leia had told him about her friend. Her hair had been originally as dark as Leia's, but it had turned completely white overnight when she learned of Alderaan's fate.

"Pleased to meet you, Captain," Winter said, nodding at him.

"Me too," he said hurriedly. "Can you please now patch me through to Leia?" He emphasized strongly the words _please_ and _now_.

"I'm very sorry but I can't, Captain," the Alderaanian denied graciously. "Her Highness is busy at the time. Is there something else I can do for you?"

Han Solo frowned. "No, just tell the Princess that I need to talk to her." All right, the message was clear, he would wait for Leia to call him back.

* * *

Princess Leia watched the _Millenium Falcon_ queuing to dock with _Home One_ through a port in her office.

It had been a hellish night where she had not slept at all. The image of Han being kissed by the blonde kept popping in her mind every time she tried to relax. It was to no avail that she tried to think of all the good things she had shared with him in that unforgettable voyage on board the _Falcon_. She had believed that his words of love meant something, but she had been wrong. He probably said those to every one of his lovers.

Evidently, Han Solo was not made to love only one woman, and she had been the greatest fool in dreaming that he would change for her.

The morning had been even worse than the restless night. It seemed that every few minutes someone would mention Han. Of course, it had been no secret that she had taken part of his rescue and Han had made clear that her little indiscretion of the night before was widely known. Maybe the whole Alliance knew by now of her mistake.

Anyway, her bad mood had been growing steadily until she almost terrorized the cook's aide in the galley at lunch when she had dared ask about Han's health. "I'm not Solo's press representative," she had uttered coldly. The tiny Twi'Lek girl - a teenager by her species standards - had almost dropped the tray she was carrying.

_Damn him.

* * *

_

Princess Leia's assistant for the day and life-long friend Winter watched her in turn. It had been over a year since she had seen her in person and there had been not much time to catch on yet. Leia had pretended to be very focused in her current assignment but she could not fool her.

The Princess had been on the verge of tears while silently signaling her to deny her when she had answered the Corellian's holo-comm call. She did not know what was going on between Solo and the Princess, but she guessed that it must be something very important, because she had never seen Leia so upset about a man before. Odd. For all she knew, they did not get along very well, although the Princess had praised his inventive and his courage a few times in the past. But stranger things happened in war time.

Winter did not know much really about Han Solo, only second-hand rumors, and it was not her habit to pay attention to gossips. She preferred to judge by herself. If half the rumors were true, she was sure the Princess would not have given him the time of the day. Anyway, after that first call, the Princess had curtly asked her to not pass to her any calls from him. Her voice had faltered while pronouncing his name, though.

The job Leia had been assigned was another issue. Logistics was a busy but not very demanding task, way below Leia's capabilities and rank. May it be Mon Mothma's subtle way of punishing her for not living up to her expectations? She respected the old Senator, but she could be certainly rigid sometimes. It was true that the Princess had dropped almost everything to go to Solo's rescue, but that was something that would surprise only those who did not know Leia well. She would do anything for someone she considered her friend, or her responsibility. And from some clues she had dropped here and there, Winter understood that the smuggler had saved her life more than once. More than enough reason for an Organa. Nevertheless, her instincts told her that this may be something more than friendship.

Finally, Winter decided to address her friend directly. "_Greggin_," she started, calling her by the nickname she had donned as a child. _Greggin_, which meant rainbug in Basic. As a little girl, the Princess had loved to go out in the warm summer rain and come back covered in mud from head to toes. The name was her form of recalling Leia of how far her friendship went.

"_Greggin,_ I don't know what happened between you and the Captain, but not talking to him won't solve anything..."

Leia Organa shook her head. "I don't know what to say to him."

If the Senator was at a loss of words, Winter thought, things were definitely bad. But the logic answer was clear. "In that case, maybe you should listen to what he has to say."

The dark-haired woman looked hurtly at her friend. "I don't know if I can believe him anymore."

"You've always been good at knowing if people lied to you, why would this be different?"

"This _is_ different," Leia said in a tone that discouraged any further discussion. She looked so defeated, though. Winter just crossed the room and hugged her friend tightly, surprising her greatly.

* * *

Four calls and six hours later, Han Solo's patience was definitely wearing thin. The meeting with Madine had gone reasonable well, or at least that was what he believed. The ex-commando was a tough interrogator and had let out little or nothing about the mysterious mission. Nor had been disclosed what part he would have in it. Only that he should make himself available next day at 0600hs.

It would be easy for him to find Leia's office and go there to see her, but he did not want to make a scene about this. He had just joined the Alliance officially and he did not want to irritate further the people that would be already irritated by that. He would not give her more reasons to reject him. His position was precarious enough as it was.

"As I told you before, Captain, the Princess is busy at the time," Winter said for the umpteenth time, her face imperturbable.

Maybe the coldness was something innate to all Alderaanian women, the Corellian thought before insisting again. "Are you even allowed to tell me that she doesn't want to talk to me?" Only his Princess was cold only on the outside and that was the most enticing thing about her.

"I'm afraid not, Captain," she said with an enigmatic half-smile. "And I'm not allowed to tell you that she's staying in cabin B-16 either."

Han Solo blinked, wondering if he had heard right. But then, a lopsided grin brightened his face.

* * *

The best thing about Mon Calamari ships, in Leia's opinion, was the plenty of water in all their freshers. The hot liquid for showers was a luxury most military cruisers could not afford, but the amphibian builders of this ship thought otherwise.

Stepping out of the fresher after a long, hot shower, Princess Leia slipped into a shimmersilk robe. The fabric was light yet warm, of the palest pink imaginable, so pale that it looked pearly gray under the utilitary illumination of the room. Some called the color Alderaanian Dawn. The texture of the cloth was so soft that the designer had to put a hidden safety fastener to avoid it to slide down the shoulders of the wearer at the slightest movement. It was a naming-day gift from Winter, who alleged that someone had given it to her, only to discover that it was too small for her long limbs. Still, the garment had been cut for a woman taller than Leia, and the bottom of the robe pooled somewhat at her feet, but she did not care at all. It was the nicest thing she had wore in a long time.

The dinner her friend had also provided was still untouched over the small table, but she was not hungry. She was so exhausted that the only thing she really wanted was a good night sleep. Maybe she would wake up and Han kissing Lieutenant G'Mendez would be only a bad dream.

Finishing the nightly brushing of her hair, she had just started to braid it again when someone knocked on her door. Resignedly, she opened the hatch.

A familiar figure was standing on the other side. Somehow, she was not surprised.

"Good evening, Princess," he said.

"Good evening, Han," Leia answered coldly.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Good evening, Princess," Han Solo greeted.

"Good evening, Han," Leia Organa answered coldly.

"I found this in my nightstand, is it yours?" He showed her a small datapad, pink with tiny images of Captain Space inside read hearts all around.

"Yes, it's mine," she nodded, taking the datapad but being extremely careful not to even brush his fingers.

"Intriguing choice," Han added conversationally, leaning on the hatch frame, one hand over the proximity sensor that kept people from being crushed by the sliding panel.

Oh, gods, she looked so beautiful in that robe and with her hair down! It was evident that she had just taken a hot shower by the glowing quality of her skin. Skin that now he knew was even softer than the most costly shimmersilk. How he longed to touch and kiss that skin again.

Leia Organa sighed. "Donors have a strange sense of humor, lately."

The Corellian leaned down, closer to her. "Won't you lemme in?" He whispered displaying a lopsided grin. "People are startin' to stare."

In fact, a couple of young Calamarian ensigns looked away promptly when the Princess glared at them.

"Sure," she said, vacating the door. This conversation would have had to take place sooner or later anyway. The sooner the better.

Leia retired to the farthest end of the cabin, trying to put as much distance as she could between the smuggler and her. Which was not much really, since, typically, she had chosen one of the smallest rooms available.

Han Solo crossed the threshold but did not go further. He let the satchel he was carrying over his shoulder slide to the floor and leaned back on the now closed hatch. Crossing his arms on his chest and flopping one boot over the other, he asked with an inquisitive expression on his face. "You didn't come back last night; you didn't answer my comms today, what happened, Leia?"

The Princess placed the datapad on the small table, while studying the familiar figure before her. All traces of sickness were gone and he looked healthier than ever. His skin had recovered its tanned complexion and his muscles bunched beneath the double-breasted shirt. He probably had convinced the med-droid to give him some extra treatment. If he only would not look so handsome.

She finally locked eyes with him. "I did come back last night," she informed him.

Han Solo kept his best sabaac face on and queried again, trying to look innocent. "Was I asleep? Why didn't you wake me up?"

Leia's mouth twitched as if she was about to lose control over herself. "You weren't asleep," she finally blurted, "you were _busy_." The last word crossed the distance between them like a vibro-blade thrown at his chest.

"Oh," the Corellian observed, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, 'oh'," she mockingly imitated him, but there was no amusement in her eyes.

"I never said anything about exclusiveness, did I?" It was his turn to sigh now.

For the first time, the Princess avoided his eyes. Quietly, she agreed. "No, you didn't."

A smirk tugged slightly at a corner of Solo's mouth, but she did not see it. "Well, I'd like to address that topic now," he said.

"Suit yourself," she spat, regaining her spirit.

Han Solo abandoned at last his lazy pose and advanced towards Leia with every intention of taking her in his arms, but the defensive stance she suddenly adopted stopped him dead in his tracks. Stepping back, he raised his hands in gesture of conciliation, or maybe surrender.

"Hey, sweetheart, let me explain," he pleaded. "It was not what you think!"

"Not what I think?" she repeated incredulous. "You better have a good excuse then," she said shaking her head, promptly aware that the phrase itself was a concession. _Get a grip, Organa!_

Han Solo smiled at her slip and enlightened her about what she had missed.

* * *

_Lee G'Mendez broke the kiss and stared at him for a while._

"_You kiss like a married man," she said after a pause._

_His eyes widened. "I do?"_

"_Who's the lucky girl?" the blonde continued. "No, don't tell me," she said waving his hand. "Let me guess... The Princess, right? She finally said 'yes'?"_

_Han Solo flashed an apologetic lopsided grin._

"_Alright, I know when to cut my looses," The blonde affirmed, smiling sadly. "Good luck, Han, you're gonna need it."

* * *

_

"You think THAT is a good excuse?" Leia Organa almost shouted, incredulously, hands on her hips.

"What do you want me to do, Leia?" he started, using his hands to illustrate his point. "Stamp my butt with 'Property of Leia Organa'? Paint the _Falcon_'s hull with 'I love Leia'? Lee's a good friend, the least she deserved was a goodbye kiss! Sooner or later everybody will get used to it!" The speech was not fully coherent, but succeeded in catching the Princess's attention.

"Get used to what, exactly?" She shuffled her feet, repressing the unwanted smirk that the image of that tattoo brought to her lips. She was not sure if she wanted to hear the answer to her question.

"To the fact that I'm now with you and I wanna be only with you!" He screeched a little, and she knew he was really nervous now.

"I've heard that line about good friends before..." Leia backfired.

"And you think I'm goin' around telling women that I love them too?" His arm described a half circle around him, as to comprise all the mentioned females. Lowering his voice, he added in the earnest tone she never heard out of him. "Look, Leia, I know that I can't prove to you that I won't do what I won't do... I guess you'll just have to trust me about this."

The Princess delayed her answer, breath suddenly caught in her throat. Oh, goddess, Winter was right. She _could_ tell when someone was lying to her. And he was not. In his own warped way, he was telling her again that he loved her and that he was going to be faithful to her.

The nerfherder was right. It was a matter of trust.

And the problem was that, in the end, she trusted him. Irrationally, illogically, instinctively trusted him.

"How many?" She asked tensely nevertheless.

Han Solo shrugged but answered straightly. "Too many." Running his fingers through his hair, he added. "I won't tell you that none of them meant anything, because that won't be true, but you... you are different, you know."

"The _Falcon_ could use some paint," the Princess deadpanned at last, crossing her arms on her chest. Her strained face relaxed a little and a wicked grin stretched her lips when she continued. "And you'd look cute with a tattoo."

"Your wish is my command," he said, smile lighting his eyes and thumbs hooking in his belt. He would not make the first move. Although things looked better than fifteen minutes ago, he had a feeling that he had not been completely forgiven yet.

"She told you that you kiss like a married man?" Leia asked, her eyes narrowing.

The Corellian let out a heartfelt, relieved laugh. "Yeah. I think I just kinda lost my reputation."

"I would say so," she answered nodding.

Then, with two quick steps, she crossed the room to him. Grabbing the front of his shirt, she pulled him down roughly until they were nose to nose.

"I want a full list," she declared, right before kissing him.

It was not a gentle kiss. It was a wild, angry touch, as if by attacking him that way she could erase all the other women from his body and his mind. Still pulling his shirt down hard, she grabbed his biceps with her free hand, her nails digging in the flesh covered by the coarse fabric.

Her actions had caught him once more by surprise and, for a while, the only thing that filled his consciousness was the sensation of her biting his lips, the hungry contact of her body pressing his own against the wall. The small pain in his arm that was so close to pure pleasure. It was in this moment that he fully understood that what had been less that a week for him, had been long, scary, lonely months for Leia.

Only when she broke up for air he remembered her request. Panting, he asked with dismay. "All of them?"

"Every single one," she confirmed, before kissing him again. This time it was more a duet than a solo, as they both slowly molded and melted to their concavities and convexities, her arms coming to rest around his neck. His own hands were not idle anymore, remembering quickly the old-new familiarity with the slim figure under the silken robe.

When one of her hands started to feel for the buttons of his shirt and her other slid deliciously down his back - far, far back, - he knew without doubt what she wanted and expected. Smiling brashly, he helped her expose his chest, where she greedily applied her lips, as proficiently as if she had done that hundreds of times. Shivers went up and down his body under her bold caresses and for a selfless moment, he wondered what had he possibly done to deserve such attentions from this wonderful woman. A Princess, nothing less.

His shirt had just sled down his muscular shoulders and they had slowly started to move together to her promising bunk, when a thought crossed his head.

"What about your reputation, Princess?" He said, real concern in his voice. "People saw me entering here..."

She looked up at him, a tender grin planted on her slightly swollen lips, sparks coming out of the dark eyes.

"I think my reputation went down with yours, flyboy," she answered.

Without hesitation, they resumed their coordinated movement towards the bunk but neither of them noticed, until it was too late, that one of Han's boots was pinning the hem of her long robe to the floor. Caught in their feelings, they only perceived that something was wrong when both of them were tumbling down unavoidably.

With quick reflexes, although somewhat constrained by the shirt folded around his elbows, Han managed to push Leia over to the bed, while his shoulder connected with a heavy thud to the panel across it. She landed unharmed on the mattress, but as the edge of her robe was still caught under the boot, it shifted and stretched over her shoulders, leaving her right one and a good portion of cleavage bare. If it weren't for the hidden safety fastener, things could have been even worse. Or better, depending of the point of view.

Laughing unstoppably, she sat on the bed and checked on Han, who was clutching his shoulder with a wince on his face. They were still disentangling themselves from the damned robe when someone knocked on the door.

"Leia, are you all right?" Mon Mothma's rich contralto voice asked with concern.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Leia, are you all right?" Mon Mothma's rich contralto voice asked with concern.

The Princess propped a hand over Han's mouth, her own laughter suddenly interrupted as well. Hurriedly, she pushed and pulled him on his feet and across the room, until he understood that she wanted him to go into the fresher. She suffocated his complaining with a quick kiss on his lips and closed the hatch.

"I'm coming!" She answered loudly.

Composing her robe, she scanned the room for evidence of what just almost happened, finding with dismay Han's satchel by the main hatch.

"Leia, are you really all right?" the older woman asked again.

Leia Organa opened again the hatch to the fresher and shoved the bag into the stomach of a very astonished Han Solo, closing it again in a hurry.

"Finally!" Senator Mon Mothma exclaimed when the Princess let her in. "I heard some noise... What happened?"

"I just slipped when I came out of the shower, Mon, don't worry..." Leia lied proficiently while returning the older woman's embrace.

"But are you all right? Did you hurt yourself?" There was real concern in the Chandrillan's face.

"I'm fine, Mon," the younger woman reassured her, feeling somewhat guilty. Changing the subject, she asked her, "When did you arrive?"

"A few minutes ago. I'm on my way to meet with Ackbar and Madine but I wanted to see you first."

Another meeting she had not been invited to, Leia thought. With a tense smile, she asked trying to keep her tone neutral. "Do you need something, Mon?"

"No, not really... Just wanted to see how you were doing..." Mon Mothma narrowed her eyes slightly. "I heard that the Tatooine operation was a success."

The Tatooine operation. At least she had not called it 'the lowly Corellian's skin saving' like the last time. It was some progress.

"Yes, it was," she answered. "Han is fine, thank you," she added before she could help it.

The two women locked eyes for a long while, both of them too stubborn to lower their gazes, both of them too afraid of losing the other one trust if they spoke their true minds.

_Maybe I should tell her_, Leia thoughts raced. _If she only knew the real Han beneath the mercenary facade. If she knew him like I do..._ But her cheeks colored slightly at the thought of how thoroughly she did know the scoundrel by now. Maybe that was not her more brilliant idea after all.

"Do you have something to tell me, Princess?" Her mentor queried all of a sudden, as if she was reading her mind.

_Something like 'I just hid Han Solo in my fresher'?_

"No, I don't," the Alderaanian answered somewhat defiantly.

Mon Mothma's lips pressed firmly one against the other. "All right," she said at last, "I'll see you tomorrow at the general assembly then."

* * *

The aforementioned Corellian occupied his time meanwhile pressing his ear against the hatch of the fresher, trying to catch something of the conversation going on between the women outside. He did not have much luck, though. The fresher doubled as escape pod, so twin hatches isolated it very effectively from the rest of the ship. All he could hear was the murmur from the ship engines and nothing else.

After a while, he felt the vibration of the main hatch opening and closing. He waited a few minutes for a signal of the Princess that he could come out, but she did not release him. What she still there? There was a chance that she had gone with Mothma, but she would usually not go out of her cabin in a robe and with her hair down unless it was a life or death crisis. The other possibility was that someone else had joined the party and in that case, he wondered how would he explain his long visit to the refresher.

Well, there was only one way to know. Palming the door open, he stepped out of the cubicle.

Luckily, there was no Chandrillan Senator in sight, only an Alderaanian princess. She was sitting on the edge of the bunk, elbows on her knees, face hidden in her hands. The sound of the sliding hatch startled her, and she looked at Han through slightly separated fingers.

He crossed the room in two swift strides and sat by her, his arm circling her waist warmly.

"That bad, uh?" He asked into her hair.

Leia leaned into the crook of his arm. "I never lied to her before..." She whispered.

Han Solo sighed. "I thought you didn't want to hide," he stated neutrally.

"I know," she answered quickly. "I just...panicked."

He nuzzled the back of her neck gently. "Don't worry, sweetheart," he said, moving her hair out of his way so he could plant small kisses there.

"There'll be another time..." His free hand traced gently her jaw, his lips descending again over the uncovered nape of her neck. "I'm not going anywhere..."

The Princess raised her head so violently that she almost knocked him out. "You're going to stay?"

"Yeah, I..." Han started, massaging his own jaw now.

"You're going to stay!" she interrupted, her hands coming to cup his face. He nodded.

"You're going to stay..." she repeated once more like a chant and kissed him passionately. Pushing him back until he was flat on the mattress, she stabbed his chest with her index. "You... are going... to stay!" He nodded again and smiled impishly, delighted with her reaction.

Her mouth covered his again and the rest of her body followed suit.

He stayed, and there were no more interruptions.

* * *

She started unbuttoning the shirt that he had fastened back in the fresher. Her tongue and her lips came right behind her shaking fingers, tasting, feeling, exploring. She had every intention of turning into reality the fantasies she had developed along the lonely months when she had been deprived of his beloved presence.

She brushed her cheek along his sternum and his chest hair tickled in her nose deliciously, his scent filling her nostrils, making her feel like... Home. Her lips touched then something that elicited a deep hiss to come out of his lungs. Purely out of instinct she licked and sucked on his masculine nipples greedily, first one and then the other, feeling him squirm and pant under her small weight.

"Gods, Leia!" He said, and she smiled against his skin.

She had located her knee between his legs for better leverage and she could feel without doubt the heat of his arousal pressing against her naked thigh, growing hotter and bigger with her every ministration. It was a powerful feeling, of control and submission at the same time, of sheer gratitude with the powers that be for giving her the opportunity to love again this wonderful man.

On their first time together, she had been too overwhelmed by the sensations that Han was awakening in her to pay much attention to details, or to have much initiative for that matter. She had followed him were he had wanted to lead, happily and with no regrets. But with time, replaying those few precious hours in her mind over and over again, she had realized how selfish she had been, how little had she dared to explore of him.

Some technical literature had helped her to have a better idea of what she may want to try, of what Han may expect from her. A better idea of what she had felt and why. Not that she had been completely oblivious before, but one thing was to have theoretical notions of these matters, and a complete different one to have empirical knowledge of it.

And above all, she wanted to please Han; she wanted to love him like she felt he deserved. And the idea that there was a whole collection of women out there that she had to make him forget about was not that far of her mind either.

She pulled back a little and he followed her propping himself on his elbows, and she used the opportunity to slide the shirt down his shoulders. He reached for her lips, a hand sneaking behind her head to draw her nearer. Their tongues battled one around the other in a quest for domination but she did not surrender and finally pushed him back down.

His arms came out of the sleeves of the discarded shirt to cup her breasts in his big hands, squeezing them gently through the thin silk of her robe. Her mind went blank for a brief moment and her back arched, hips pushing instinctively against his sex. But she recovered soon enough to regain control and carry on what she had planned for so long. Disengaging gently his palms from her buttocks, she kissed them and then his mouth.

"Let me," she asked softly against his lips, and he conceded it.

She crept back a little, never separating her mouth from his skin until she reached the big metal buckle of his gun belt. She raised her gaze to lock into his hazel eyes and then unlocked it with a dexterous movement of her wrist. Han Solo arched a brow and smiled lopsidedly, delighted in her boldness.

She directed her attention to the strap that fastened the holster to his thigh and, when he raised his hips, she pulled the whole thing away, but maybe with a little too much enthusiasm. The blaster slid over the edge of the bunk and hit the floor heavily. Leia Organa winced, hoping that nobody else came to ask about her wellbeing again.

"Don't worry," Han laughed. "Go on. Please?"

Her cheeks burning more than ever she turned her focus to his boots, which came out surprisingly easily. Two balls made of socks bounced on the cabin's panels not much later. His feet were long and slender and as beautiful as his hands. She sled her fingertips along the back of one until she reached the hairy toes. He wriggled them playfully and she mockingly menaced to tickle him, but changed her mind suddenly. Bending forwardly, she kissed his feet tenderly.

Han Solo sat quickly and stopped her, turning her to face him. Taking her long hair out of her face, he caressed her cheek. "You don't have to do that," he told her softly.

She just looked back at him. "But I want to," she answered.

The Corellian kissed her then with all the passion he was capable of, his hands sliding up her thighs and under the robe, pulling her against him tightly.

* * *

This time he almost got her, but somehow she squeezed herself out of his arms and was suddenly taking position behind his back. Her small but strong hands started to knead his shoulders and worked their way down to his waistline. 

"You're good," he sighed contentedly.

She did not answer, but her arms rounded his hips and her thumbs hooked boldly on the front of his pants. "May I?" She asked against his spine.

"I'm all yours, sweetheart."

It took her some time to undo the second buckle blindly, but the zipper had no secrets and it was opened easily. She hesitated, though, about taking the next step. Inwardly, she prayed to the Ice Princess not to interfere.

Understanding, he took her hand in his and softly guided her in. "Nothing there you aren't already familiar with," he whispered.

* * *

The next moments became blurred, and went by much more quickly than what Leia had intended. One moment she was caressing his swollen masculinity and the next tugging from his pants and kissing him all over, back and front, with her open mouth, claiming him, getting wilder and wilder with his every moan.

She reached soon a state where she could not restrain herself anymore. Slipping out of her underwear, she straddled him.

It hurt, a little. Not like the first time, but she did not care either. She was adapting, molding, it was not her body anymore, but the blessed conjunction of male and female that was a new entity by itself. The fire within quickly engulfed any other sensation, any coherent thoughts, and nothing mattered anymore.

_She looks really like a queen..._Han thought. He looked up at her, from her tightly closed eyes to the chestnut hair to the waves of silk that covered them both. She started to move slowly her hips and that was all that he needed to lose the little restrain he still had.

Leia felt vaguely, like from afar, Han taking control and yanking hard at her robe, until the button gave in and there was nothing else between them. One moment she was up and then she was down and they rocked themselves into ecstasy.

She noticed at some point under Han's powerful, exquisite thrusts that someone was screaming. Weird. This was so beautiful, so perfect.

It was not until Han's mouth covered hers that she realized that the one crying was she.

* * *

Later, when their most urgent needs had been satisfied, Han Solo cradled his sleeping Princess tenderly in his arms. There was no mistaken in the dark circles under her eyes, she was tired to death and the previous activities had exhausted her last reserves of strength. He loved to watch her sleeping. 

Leia had felt bold tonight it seemed and he had let her take the lead, bending to her every whim, astonishment and pleasure mixed in equal parts. He had let her explore him, test his reactions, learn him in every way. She had been much more secure of herself than their last – and only – time, trying new things on her own initiative and for a brief moment, the most cynical part of him had wondered where she had acquired this notions. Had she been 'practicing' somehow?

_Stop being stupid,_ _Solo, _he addressed himself. _Why can't you believe that something good can happen to you for a change?_

Maybe she had forgiven him so easily because she had not been faithful, the seedier part of him argued. _She's not like that!_ No? The image of her kissing Luke in that med-ward in Hoth was prompted into his attention.

Leia stirred in his arms, one hand traveling his back lazily. "Mmmmmm..." she mumbled, snuggling closer to him and opening her eyes just a slit. "Hi," she said smiling warmly.

"Hi yourself," he answered, his lips descending to brush hers softly, any doubts melting away in her bright glow.

A growling sound then startled both of them, and the Princess reddened deeply. "I think I'm hungry," she apologized.

Han Solo caressed her stomach with his big hand. "It happens," he laughed. "Let's do something about it. Are you in the mood for Tarian soup?"

"Tarian soup?" Her eyebrows knitted. "I don't have..."

"Wait," he interrupted, jumping out of her bunk. He crossed the room and entered the fresher, from where he emerged carrying his satchel.

"What...?"

The Corellian silenced her with a gesture and proceeded to empty the sack. Thermal container, bread, cheese and a bottle of wine came out of it as if summoned by some old magic, replacing the cold dinner based on ration bars. He sighted her mug on a shelf and, reaching for it, he filled it with the liquid in the thermal container. Passing her the steaming mug and a napkin, he sat by her cross-legged on the bed taking with him the bottle of wine, which he opened with precise movements.

She had fished meanwhile her robe from the mess of discarded clothes on the floor and had slipped it on her shoulders. She had to left it open though, since the safety clasp had been a casualty of war and the belt was nowhere to see.

"You've been planning this all along!" She accused playfully.

"I was counting on it," Han Solo retorted, winking mischievously.

"I think I love you," she teased, smelling sensually the spicy cream.

Han Solo's Adam's apple wobbled up and down.

* * *

They ate silently, only interrupting the proceedings to share a soft kiss every once in a while, as if to reassure each other that this blissful moment was real, and not some wistful hallucination.

At last, the wine and the soup were finished and the rest of the edibles had diminished in quantity notoriously. All of a sudden, Leia Organa pouted. "No dessert," she said, sounding somewhat tipsy.

"What?"

"You brought no dessert," she elaborated, pouting a little more.

"The Princess wants dessert," he repeated, leaning closer.

She nodded in agreement, licking her lips.

Han Solo grinned wickedly and flopped backwards on the mattress again. Stretching in all his naked glory and crossing his arms behind his head, he sighed. "Well, I guess I'll have to sacrifice myself... Again."

* * *

Energies renewed after the improvised meal, round two had been the better so far. They had turned off the lights afterwards, supposedly to sleep something, but they both felt conversational.

"You are a wild one, y'know." Han Solo whispered softly in Leia's ear. "I've always known that some day you'd club me in the head and drag me to your cave..."

She blushed, and even if he could not see it in the dim starlight that entered through the small viewport, he felt the wave of warmth washing through her body.

Without warning, she asked: "Why did you kiss her?" There was no aggression in her voice though, just... Curiosity.

The Corellian took his time to answer. "Habit, I guess," he started and then added, "It won't happen again, I promise."

He had not tried to use the she-kissed-me-first excuse, although if she was going to be honest, that had been what she had seen. She liked that. Tightening her arms around his waist, she kissed his shoulder. Han shifted his weight on the mattress, uncomfortable. He knew what the next topic would be and, as always, decided to shoot first.

"Do you really want that list?"

"No," she whispered, "I don't want it..."

He breathed deeply, relieved.

"... But I need it," she finished.

_Oh, gods. You deserve it, Solo._

He grimaced in the darkness and braced himself. "Alphabetically, chronologically, by sector or what?"

Propping herself on an elbow, Leia Organa let her lips trail across his chest. "Tell me first about the one that broke your heart..."

* * *

After two solid hours of questions and answers, they made love again, slowly and tenderly as if the two of them were apologizing to each other.

Finally, they fell asleep spooning together, both fitting perfectly in a bunk designed for barely one.

* * *

Han Solo was awakened later by the insistent chime of his chrono's alarm.

_0530. Damn. _

Silently, he slipped out of the bunk and headed to the fresher for a shower after pulling a clean shirt and shaving stuff from his satchel.

He emerged a few minutes later, but before going out he kneeled by Leia's sleeping form. He kissed her lips and her throat insistently, until she stirred and moaned. "Han... What time is it?"

"Too early," he whispered. "Look, I have something to do. I'll see you at lunch time, right?"

"Right," she acknowledged before drifting off again. He smiled and kissed her brow one last time.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Saale saw Princess Leia entering the mess hall and hurried to start a fresh pot of caf. Yesterday she had been in a very bad mood and the Twi'lek girl did not want to infuriate her further. Yet, that was not the case today. She seemed relaxed and happy, even positively glowing.

The Alderaanian was usually frugal in all her meals. That was why Saale's eyes went very round when she saw her piling food for at least a Wookiee on her tray. "Morning, Saale," she greeted cheerfully from afar. Well, maybe she was going to have breakfast with someone.

The brewing finished and the cook's aide filled a big mug with the fragrant beverage. Crossing the prep area, she placed the cup on the Princess's tray. It was then that she noticed the strangest of things. A sound, a humming really. It took Saale a few moments to connect it with the person before her. It was something so unusual that she could not help but stare at her.

The Princess was humming a song.

A Corellian love song.

Leia Organa thanked Saale and carried her breakfast to a table, where she devoured the food, alone.

* * *

She had woken up a little disoriented, as it always happened to her the first night in a new bed. She should have gotten used to it with time, and she had been, the first three years. But after spending more that seventy days in a row sleeping in Han's bunk on the Falcon, it had all started again.

When her vision had cleared, the first thing she had seen was Han Solo's satchel, apparently abandoned by the fresher unit hatch, and everything that had happened the night before came rushing to her mind. Her skin had suddenly tingled deliciously from her scalp to her toes with the memories and a wide grin had spread on her face.

She had laughed loudly and turned to embrace and kiss the man responsible of her current deep feeling of wellbeing, but realized that she was alone in the bed.

_Something to do... See you at lunchtime..._

Had she dreamed those words or had he really told her that? Leia Organa had rubbed her face and her eyes in an effort to clear her memory. Yes, it had not been a dream. She had felt his clean shaved cheek on hers, smelt the tangy scent of his aftershave, tasted the teeth-cleaning paste in his lips.

But where had he gone so early?

She sipped her caf thoughtfully and grabbed another pastry from the plate that was starting to look depleted. _Yes, where was he going so early? _

Never mind. Only a few hours more to lunchtime and seeing him again. However, it felt like eternity.

So, Bria Tharen had been the important one. Her instinct had been right. It was difficult, though, to image Han as a lovestruck young man that had offered marriage to the girl he had rescued. How she had repaid his devotion, years later, was unforgivable, even if she apparently did it for the sake of the Alliance. It betrayed its principles and, more often than she cared to remember, principles were all the Alliance had.

Yet, that money had bought the Death Star blueprints and indirectly forced Han into her path. Yes, she ought to thank Commander Tharen for that. At least as long as she did not remember that her betrayal had lead to him being put in the carbonite too.

The other women Han had talked to her about, she had resolved to forget, and forgive. And keep both eyes open day and night.

* * *

Her first task when she arrived to her office was to query with the docking bays supervisor if Luke had arrived during the night shift. The answer was negative.

The Princess was starting to get worried. The fleet would make the first jump into hyperspace right after the general assembly was adjourned. The meeting - simultaneously held in the different ships – was scheduled for 1400hrs. If Luke did not come by then, he would found nobody to meet at the rendezvous point.

* * *

"A general? Are you crazy?" Han Solo asked, astonished.

"Do you want it or not?" General Madine retorted sternly.

The former smuggler leaned back in his chair, a smug half-grin on his face. "You really hate the old hag, doncha?"

"'The old hag', as you put it, Solo, has given her approval on this. I suggest you start being more respectful of your commander-in-chief."

Han Solo winced. _This guy is not Corellian. I bet he's adopted.

* * *

_

The morning crawled.

Leia was distracted and had to be told three times about the number of X-Wings Senator Bel Iblis had sent. Winter did not comment about it.

* * *

A few minutes before noon, Rieekan called from the planet below.

"I just wanted to wish you good luck, Princess," the blue holo of the Alderaanian General said.

"You too, Carlist," she answered. He was staying with the rearguard of the Alliance, taking care of what would be useless anyway if the operation failed. But that was his duty and even a harder one than that of those going to battle.

"May the Goddess guide your steps, Leia."

It was the old Alderaanian farewell, the same her father always used. A lump formed in her throat. "And yours, General," she managed to say.

"Give my regards to Solo too, please, and congratulate him on my behalf. Rieekan out."

The image flickered and died, leaving a slightly confused Princess watching the empty space.

* * *

Speaking of the devil, it was time of getting in touch with Han if they wanted to have lunch together before the assembly took place. But she could not reach him on the comm, and the _Falcon_ was not answering either.

Sighing, she decided to pay a visit to the freighter and bring back Han's satchel in the process.

"Is everything clear, General?" Crix Madine asked.

"I'll have the strike team ready for the assembly, sir," newly minted General Han Solo affirmed.

"Good."

* * *

The ramp was closed and the lights dimmed as in the night cycle, but she pressed her hand against the identification pad and the ship opened for her. Stepping into the darkened corridor, she went directly to Han's cabin. She hesitated by the door, though. It was strange, she had slept there for the best part of a year, and yet now that Han was back she felt like and intruder suddenly.

Placing the satchel on the bunk, she turned to leave only to collide into 2.30m of silent Wookiee.

**Hi**, he said, baring his teeth.

"Hello, Chewie!" Leia Organa reached up on her toes and scratched his neck, making him squirm and roar contentedly. "Have you seen Han this morning?"

The Wookiee rolled his eyes, remembering his partner's question of the day before. _First Han and now her. What should I tell her?_

**He left... Earlier...** he said with not much conviction.

Noting his discomfort, the Princess decided that Chewie did not deserve to be left in the dark.

"Don't worry, Chewie," she reassured him. Lowering her voice and blushing a little in the process, she added. "I _know_ where he spent last night."

The Wookiee grinned.

They were interrupted by Leia's comm-unit beeping. Her face brightened when she heard Han Solo's voice through it, but darkened again when he told her that he would not make it to lunch.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, I'll see you in the meeting. Solo out."

She closed the channel with a sigh. "He's up to something, isn't he, Chewie?"

**I had to swear not to tell you, Leia. I'm sorry**, Chewbacca apologized. **But I can assure that it does not involve other women, if that's what worries you.**

The Princess studied her comm-unit for a moment. "Well, I guess it's just you and me, Chewie," she said nonchalantly. "Care to join me for lunch?"

The Wookiee cocked his head. **I knew there had to be something good about my life-debt.**

* * *

The mess hall was pretty crowded when they arrived there, but the combination of hungry Wookiee and Alderaanian Princess opened two spots for them immediately at the Rogues table.

She asked again if they knew anything about Luke, but the answer was again negative, leaving her more worried than before.

As they were finishing their meals, there was a bit of elbowing and whispering between Hobbie Klivian and Wes Janson. "You ask her," one of them said. "No, _you_ ask her," the other answered.

Since she was the only female at the table, Leia Organa deducted that they were referring to her. "What do you want to ask me?" She told them at last.

Janson did not look embarrassed at all as he grinned to the Princess and answered her. "Nobody's seen Solo since yesterday and we have a little bet going on about that."

The Alderaanian blinked. "And?"

"Hobbie here says that you killed him and spaced the body, I say that you kidnapped and locked him in your room."

Chewbacca growled something that everybody understood without need of translation was a life threat. Leia rubbed the bridge of her nose and hid a smile behind her hand. The pilot was brave, no doubt about it. Stupidly brave.

Fortunately, she did not have to answer the bold question as an exulting Lando Calrissian interrupted them.

"Well, Princess, how do you like me in a uniform?"

_Thank you, Lando_.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

After congratulating Lando for his commissioning, the group headed to the auditorium at the top level of _Home One_.

Just a few steps before the entrance, Leia's comm chirped. She signaled Chewbacca, Lando and the rest to go on and answered the call.

"Princess, Commander Skywalker has just asked for clearance to dock," the deck officer announced.

"Thank you, Venk. Please tell him that the assembly is taking place in the amphitheater. Organa out."

At least Luke had made it. She had the feeling that his abilities would be sorely needed in the following days.

She hurried through the hatch and scanned the upper level of seats for Han, expecting to find him reclined against a wall or a column, as usual. She had no luck at first, but then she heard his voice and something fluttered in her stomach.

"Who says they didn't?" He bragged to Lando. "But I ain't crazy!" The friends laughed warmly. "You're the respectable one, remember?" the Corellian added, taking a seat by Chewbacca in the front row.

The front row? What was Han Solo doing in the front row? She had not much time to consider the anomaly, though, because Mon was just starting her speech. Stealthily, she slipped into the vacant spot next to him. He acknowledged her with a quick glance and she brushed the tip of her fingers just infinitesimally to the side of his leg in answer.

As the Chandrillan started to talk, she felt the soft pull of the hyperdrives and the stars blurred out of the windows. They had jumped into hyperspace earlier. Luke had made it just in time.

* * *

"General Solo, is your strike team assembled?" Madine called. 

The jaw of the last Princess of Alderaan dropped. She turned inquiring eyes on him, as if daring him to assert it, or amend it. He did neither, but looked at her from the corner of his eye.

_General Solo? _

"My squad is ready, sir," he answered. "But I need a command crew for the shuttle," Han Solo added, his manner halfway between a smuggler and an officer.

A _General?_

Leia Organa's chin dropped a little more.

"It's gonna be rough, pal," he was saying to the Wookiee now. "I didn't want to speak for ya."

Are you crazy, Han? How would I leave you alone? Chewbacca protested vehemently.

"That's one!" Han Solo declared happily.

_You really were up to something, you nerfherder. _

"Count me in, General," she announced with a smile. There would be time later to kill him for keeping her in the dark.

_Thank you_, Han's eyes answered.

_I love him. I really love him, the Princess thought. And if I touch him now, I'm gonna make love to him in front of everybody until he dies of exhaustion and that wouldn't be proper. _

She felt then the room fill with a bright sensation, as if the sunshine had poured suddenly through the viewports.

"I'm with you too," Luke Skywalker announced from the top of the stairs.

The Princess threw herself into the Jedi's arms, hugging him tightly. Luke she could embrace in the middle of a crowd. Luke was safe. Nobody in a million years would think anything wrong about her and Luke.

Han Solo watched his lover and his friend embrace, and something twitched in his gut. There was something else to it, something he could not pinpoint, but as real as a kick in the shins. _Stop being paranoid, Solo._

Almost shyly, he stepped in to greet Luke, stroking lightly the Princess's back in the process. She laced her arm with his and that was all he needed to be happy again.

* * *

Princess Organa waited by the main archway for Han Solo. Luke was gone to take a shower and change clothes and Chewie had said that he had something to do in the Falcon. Lando had disappeared without a word. The Corellian was still at the bottom of the amphitheater, being greeted by pilots and other Alliance personnel. It seemed that she was not the only one surprised by his new status.

Covertly, she watched carefully one person in particular. A certain tall blonde was just approaching him. She could not hear what they were saying, but she would have paid for being able to. She did not entertain him too much though. Lieutenant G'Mendez soon shook Han's hand briefly and was on her way up the stairs, aiming for the same exit were Leia was stationed.

Her first instinct was to flee and get out of the blonde's path, but her upbringing and her pride were more powerful. Always look at the enemy in the eye, her father had said more than once. She had faced Vader without flinching; she could deal with Han Solo's ex lover without running away. Straightening her back, she glared at her.

Strangely, Aralee G'Mendez was looking back at her intently. Stopping one step below the Princess, both women leveled their gazes and locked eyes.

Han Solo saw them from the corner of his eye and broke out in a sweat.

"I think congratulations are in order for you too, Princess," the navigation officer said extending her hand to Leia Organa.

Reluctantly, she accepted the offering, finding her hand surprisingly warm and steady. "You have nothing to fear from me, Princess," Aralee continued, smirking a little. "Wouldn't be so sure about the others, though..."

"I know," the Alderaanian acknowledged. "I wish we had met in different circumstances, Lieutenant," she added not really knowing why.

Aralee G'Mendez bowed her head slightly. "So do I, Princess." And with that, she was gone, a cascade of blond curls bouncing behind her.

_Han has good taste in women, that's for sure_, Leia Organa thought watching her go.

A strong hand was placed softly on her shoulder. "You alright?" Han asked.

"She has class, General," she stated, turning her eyes to him.

He offered his arm to her, heart pounding painfully. "I know," he said, leading the Princess through the archway.

* * *

They had taken just a few steps along the corridor when they found another familiar figure.

"Han, this is my friend Winter," Leia said waving in the direction of the silver haired woman. "I know you've already been in touch but..."

"Yeah," he answered.

"Winter, this is Cap... _General_ Han Solo." The Princess smiled at her own slip.

"I hope you didn't get the wrong impression from me, General," Winter said extending her hand to him.

In a very Lando-ish gesture, he took her hand but, instead of shaking it, he brought it to his lips with a flourish. "On the contrary, Lady Winter."

"Just Winter, please," Leia's friend answered laughing. "Anyway, Admiral Ackbar is waiting for me. If you excuse me..."

Again, he offered his arm to the Princess and they resumed their walk to the lift. Winter turned and observed them from behind. They looked so good together. The way he leaned to whisper in her ear, they looked so happy. It was ages since she had seen Leia smile like that. It was weird, even with their disparity in heights, how they seemed to walk in perfect coordination, almost... Floating. Really weird.

* * *

"You never kissed my hand like that," Leia whispered to Han Solo.

"No," he whispered back, "I prefer to kiss other parts of you."

* * *

They finally reached the elevator and waited patiently in front of the closed door.

"When were you planning to tell me, _General_?" The Princess asked casually.

"Last night," he smirked. "But someone distracted me..."

Leia Organa smiled impishly, studying their own reflection on the polished hatch. "I think I still haven't congratulated you properly, _General_," she insisted.

The lift arrived and the doors opened. Han lead the Princess into the empty cabin.

"Love it when you talk dirty," he retorted with a grin.

But when he looked back at her, she had become suddenly serious.

The doors closed and the slow descend started.

Leia's eyes filled with tears. "I..." She started.

"S'alright," Han comforted her, his arms coming around her waist.

"I'm so damn proud of you," she blurted at last very unprincess-likely, and pulled him down to kiss him.

Time stopped. The place was forgotten. Nothing mattered anymore but the feeling of each other as her hand buried in his hair and his pulled her body closer.

The lift reached the lowest level and opened its door.

The lovers did not even notice. They only shifted their stances slightly to reach for new sensations.

A mechanic ran to catch a ride and stopped dead in his tracks, eyes going wide. Silently, he signaled the closer fellow Rebel, and she the next. But only half the hangar was aware of the scene in the lift when the doors closed again.

The spell was broken by a few whistles, and money changed hands.

* * *

The couple in the elevator finally broke the kiss. "I should have joined three years ago," he sighed, burying his nose in her hair.

She placed her cheek on his chest, her arms still tight around his ribcage. "Why are we going up?"

But she never got an answer, since the doors opened, revealing Senator Mon Mothma and Admiral Ackbar.

The temperature in the cabin suddenly dropped ten degrees when Mothma and Ackbar joined Solo and Organa there.

"Nice, Solo," Mon Mothma's voice dripped irony. "Nice."

Ackbar shook his head in disaproval.

Han Solo opened his mouth but Leia Organa elbowed him.

"We are legal adults, Mon," she stated, blushing deeply.

The Chandrillan tilted her head. "I know, dear, but you're officers too, not to mention a High Princess. You have to give example."

"But Mon..." - "Look, Senator..." – both lovers talked at once.

The doors opened in the next-to-last level. Stepping out, Mothma turned to address Leia again. "I don't care what you do or do not behind closed doors, just be sure that they are and remain that way." Then she turned to her companion. "Don't make me regret my decision, General Solo."

"She hates me," Han groaned when the doors closed for the last time.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"She hates me," Han groaned when the doors closed for the last time.

Why had they had to encounter Mon Mothma of all people? Exasperatedly, he pulsed three buttons at once on the control panel, stopping the elevator effectively between levels.

"Han!" Princess Leia exclaimed, surprised. "What are you doing?"

"What do you think?" He answered grinning wickedly. His arms went again around her waist and he pulled her body to him.

The Princess's eyes went round.

Full effect achieved, his face softened as he grazed her jaw with his lips. "Relax, sweetheart. We need to talk."

The Princess's eyes went even more round.

Recovering a few seconds later, she pulled him away a little and teased him. "You mean man, scaring me like that," she said slapping his chest lightly. "For a moment I thought you wanted to talk instead of making love..."

Han Solo chuckled and leaned down further to nuzzle her throat. "You like playing with fire, hmm, Princess?" His teeth teased the soft skin of her neck.

"I take it back, I take it back," she giggled, wriggling swiftly out of his arms. "Alright, let's talk," she sighed, half-repentant, half-relieved. Indeed, it was playing with fire. Han's kisses made her feel lightheaded, making her do crazy things without even noticing.

He shook his head. "Not here. My cabin?"

"As you wish, _General_," she answered formally, reaching with her thumb to dab the corner his mouth.

"What?"

"Lipgloss," she smiled.

But when he was about to start the elevator again, she stopped him. "You think that someone else saw us, earlier?"

Han shrugged. "Probably. Too late to do something about it, though..." His face darkened. "You regret it?"

"No." There was not even a shadow of doubt in her voice.

His smile lit up the room again. "Then swagger with me, Princess."

"What?"

"Swagger. With your hips. You can do it, I've seen it. Especially when you're angry."

"No, I can't," she denied, shaking her head.

"Yes you do," he nodded exaggeratedly. "Just pretend I've just insulted you in front of everybody, like in the old times."

The Princess opened her mouth to protest but he silenced her with a kiss. "Humor me," he pleaded. "Just do it."

Taking her hand, he hit the control panel.

The elevator came to rest on the lower level. The doors opened and he cast her a reassuring gaze. "Ready?"

Leia Organa nodded, and swallowed hard. For some strange reason, facing the ranks of the Alliance seemed more difficult than confronting the High Command itself.

"Right first," he led.

They crossed the hangar towards the Millenium Falcon at leisure pace, swaying their hips together to their personal rhythm, surprising everybody in their way.

* * *

"Did you see their faces?" Leia asked, rushing up the ramp of the Millenium Falcon, dragging Han Solo behind her.

"Priceless," he agreed. She could be so much fun when she wanted. Just like he had always imagined. "Chewie, we'll use the lounge for the meeting, I'll be with you in a minute," he said to the Wookiee as they passed by him.

Chewbacca raised a brow.

They entered his cabin and closed the hatch behind them. Han sat on the bunk and patted the mattress by him. She accepted the invitation and Han took the Princess's hand in his, lacing their fingers together.

"I don't like how she looked at you, Leia," he started, and Leia had no doubt that 'she' was Mon Mothma. "Like if you where doing something dirty. We were just embracing, for Force sake! I don't care how she looks at me, but I can't stand that she does the same to you. What's her problem?"

"It's complicated, Han..." She lowered her gaze. It was a sensitive subject and she was not sure how to approach it.

"_She's_ complicated," Han said with contempt.

"Let's talk about it tonight, please?"

"Tonight?" Han Solo raised his eyebrows and smiled slowly. "It's a date, then. Our first real date."

The Princess mirrored his grin. "That's right."

Their lips drifted together and neither of them did anything to avoid it.

"I need to ask something from you, first," Han said when they parted.

"Anything," was the whispered answer.

"Anything?" The roguish glint in his eyes said it all.

Leia leaned in and kissed his lips softly again. "Anything."

"Be my witness."

She backed up slightly surprised. "You haven't taken the oath yet?"

"No. I wanted you to... Rieekan understood."

"Carlist...?" She started, but the sentence went unfinished as the Alderaanian General words from the morning came back to her. "Oh." Understanding downed on her. "Stand up," she commanded, suddenly all business. They both did.

"Put your right hand on your heart, Citizen Solo."

He obeyed, his eyes fixed in hers. The Princess laid her own right hand over his, and continued. "Repeat after me, Citizen," she ordered. "I, Han Solo..."

"I, Han Solo..."

She declaimed phrase after phrase of the oath her father had composed in the early days of the Alliance. It was just a symbol, a ritual without any legal obligations involved since the Alliance was illegal by default, but it had nevertheless profound meaning for the Rebels. Per use, it could be done in public or in private as the circumstances and preferances dictated, as long as an official over the rank of Colonel performed it.

As Han's baritone voice repeated after her every word of it, she was reminded of the day, a lifetime ago, in which Bail Organa had performed the same simple ceremony for her and Winter. It had been the day before she went to Coruscant to take her place as Senator. Only now, as her eyes filled with tears, she fully understood the ones that had shimmered in her father's eyes that day.

She had taken the oath of hundreds of rebels along the years, including Luke's, and her voice had never faltered. Now it did, and she did not try to conceal it, because she could hear the same trembling in her lover's words.

The text was not long and it was soon over. He had sworn upon his honor to follow the Alliance purposes and goals according to his own consciousness, not to betray his comrades' trust and nothing else. Yet, it was everything.

The Princess retired her hand from Han's chest and placed it on her own. "I, Senator Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan have witnessed your pledge on behalf of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. From you heart, to ours. Welcome, Han Solo, and may the Force be with you."

The mask of Senator suddenly fell from her face, and Leia Organa threw her arms around the man she loved. "Oh, Han," was all she managed to say before their mouths joined in a fervent kiss.

Moments later, she felt him trying to gently disengage from her.

"Go," he said with strangled voice. "Go, or I won't let you."

Leia buried her face in his chest for a moment longer. "Don't forget our date tonight," she whispered to the front of his shirt. "I've never made love to a Rebel before. Or a General for that matter." She felt his ribs expand heavily and two strong hands pushing her away.

"Go," he repeated, guiding her to the hatch hastily. "Go, go, go, GO!" He added with mock anger, giving her rear a friendly pat.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"People, this is Endor," General Han Solo said, turning on the holo-projector in the Millenium Falcon's lounge. The image of the sanctuary moon rotated slowly, lighting with a greenish glow the beings reunited there to plan the first step in the fall of the Empire.

Luke Skywalker glanced sideways at Leia Organa. She had a very serious expression on her face, but he did not have to try actively to feel the powerful currents of emotion flowing from her to Han and back again. Even more, he had had to hastily raise his mental shields when Han had entered the room and the couple had locked eyes for a brief moment.

The tension-attraction they had for each other had been blatant for a long time and yet, this thing coming out from them now was and was not the same thing. Like hot crystal beads the different sensations had pierced through his mind: elation, pride, gratefulness, contentment, anticipation... He could not help but wonder if that was how love felt.

Other thoughts distracted him as well. She was his sister! Twin sister! It was easier to think of her as her sister when they were half a galaxy apart. Now that he had her at arms length, it was so hard to believe. The Princess of Alderaan and the farmboy from Tatooine were twins. Of course, it explained a few things, even the embarrassing ones. Like why it had felt so wrong when she had kissed him, once the initial exhilaration had vanished.

It was not all good news, though. At some point, she would have to know the truth of their origin and he was sure it was not going to be easy for her to hear it. It was a mystery of the Force how Vader had produced something as pure and beautiful as Leia.

The Princess turned her face slightly and returned his gaze. The Jedi smiled softly to her and she grinned back, blushing slightly.

* * *

The meeting was going all right. Fortunately, the plans for the Death Star included also the schematics for the shield generator. And Pherlen, the explosives specialist Madine had recommended, had lived up to his reputation: in less than an hour he had went through them and deduced a way to rend the installation useless without destroying it completely.

Beyond that, they had a standard day to land, get there and blow it in time for the Fleet to attack an unprotected main target. Easy, if it were not for the hordes of stormtroopers infesting the woods. He had no intention of turning his first mission as an officer for the Alliance a suicide one. If he had, he would not have accepted his friends in it and, above all, Leia. Anyway, Chewie and him had gotten into worse places and come out alive. There was no reason to think this time would be different.

The tricky part was really the landing, and it all depended of a string of numbers that composed the code, which may, or may not, be outdated. No way they could sneak through the swarm of Imperial ships protecting the monstrous battle station.

He glanced covertly at the Princess again. She looked so beautiful in those plain utility garments that he could barely believe it. But of course, it was in those simple attires where her true beauty came out so brightly that it almost took his breath away. To think that last night again she had been again in his arms so given, so trustful... Better not to think about that right now. With a voluntary effort, he turned his concentration to the task at hand.

It did not last for long, though. His eyes slid again towards Leia just in time to see her turn to Luke Skywalker and blush.

* * *

Han Solo acting as a general was the most interesting thing she had seen in a long while, putting aside the same Corellian's performance of last night. She had to restrain the urge of devouring him with her eyes, moreover that almost every time she lifted her eyes from her datapad she found his hazel ones looking back at her - or Luke's.

Luke seemed also to be spending most of his time staring at her and it was getting her slightly uncomfortable. When Han had encouraged his command crew and the strike team alike to voice their suggestions for the upcoming mission, she and Luke had finished each other's sentences in a way that had seemed funny at first, but had increased her discomfort at last. Her lover had looked slightly annoyed by that too.

* * *

They had distracted themselves by checking the weapons and equipment they would use next day and if Han Solo paid special attention to the Princess's blaster, nobody criticized him. Finally, everything was ready and they only had to wait for the moment when _Home One _would drop them on their starting point. 

"See you tomorrow at 1000 in the hangar, people," Han said standing up. The soldiers stood with him, but nobody moved. "Dismissed," he added a little reluctantly. The strike team left the _Millenium Falcon_ after saluting their commander.

The Wookiee and the remaining humans looked at each other for a second, unsure of what to do next. It had been so long since the four of them have been together with nobody shooting at them. The last time it had been at the med-center in Hoth, and nobody wanted to remember what had happened there.

Artoo warbled a little, breaking the silence.

"Yes, Artoo, you can go recharge now, and take Threepio with you," Luke answered him. "And we can all go to have dinner, can't we, _General_?"

His relaxed smiled changed the atmosphere in the room and Han Solo suddenly noticed how much the kid had matured. In other times - another life! – he would have been the one teasing him and not the other way around.

"Sure, _Kid_," he answered, patting Luke Skywalker's back and leading him to the ramp, followed by Chewie and Leia.

* * *

As they walked together to the mess hall, they slowly got back the old familiarity and by the time they arrived there, they were joking and teasing each other like a year before. Lando and Winter joined shortly after, and there was not a happier gang in the Rebel ship.

Nevertheless, before they could finish their meals, Solo and Calrissian's comm units beeped unmercifully. The High Command was summoning them again to finish the last details of the upcoming operation. Winter excused herself as well, assuming that Admiral Ackbar would probably need her as well.

Chewie and Luke were just gone to refill their plates and Lando and Winter had already started for the massive hatch when Han leaned down to whisper in the Princess's ear.

"Save some dessert for me, sweetheart," he said, grazing soflty at her earlobe.

"Don't knock, flyboy," she whispered back with a blush and a smile.

He crossed the room with his brightest grin plastered on his face, oblivious to the sights he was receiving from the other people there. He reached the doorway, but an irrational wave of longing made him turn around just to get a last image of her. It did not matter that he would see her again in a couple of hours, maybe less. He wanted never to part with her again.

_You've got it really bad, Solo_, he teased himself. But he glanced back nevertheless.

Luke was back at Leia's table, wrapping his arm around the Princess' shoulders, who was still blushing deeply and grinning at the kid.

* * *

"Hey, where are they going?" Luke asked the Princess, finding her alone at the table.

"Duty call," she answered coyly.

The Jedi locked eyes with her and again, he couldn't help but receive the echo of what she was feeling - the blend of pride and longing for the man who was walking away from her. The impulse to comfort her was suddenly stronger than his caution and he surprised himself by throwing his arm over her slim shoulders, something he had done very few times before, and in very special circumstances.

"So," he said in an even tone, "how are things going with Han?"

She looked back at him with a mixture of shock and embarrassment etched on her face, but soon she relaxed and her eyelashes hid her beautiful eyes, as if she was remembering a particularly private event.

"Perfect," she answered, and her blush became more pronounced.

"Good," Luke grinned back.

* * *

And with that, the awkwardness that had plagued them for months vanished and Leia knew with relief that she had been forgiven. After the ice of Mon Mothma, she did not know if she could stand the same treatment from Luke.

When Luke was recovering after the Bespin ordeal, she had tried to apologize to him for the Hoth med-center incident, as she called that shameful kiss in her mind. He had dismissed her with a few indifferent words and she had never been completely sure if she had been forgiven or not. He had remained emotionally distant after that and she had wondered if it was her fault.

But now, a little of the old Luke seemed to have come back and that was comforting and uplifting.

Yet, he had told her that he needed to talk to her privately, preferably that same night. She had made an excuse quickly, arguing that she was too tired, and he settled for having an early breakfast together.

After Luke and Chewie had finished plundering all the food available and went for a well-earned rest, she had pulled out rank and rescued a bottle of Freyin's from the small cache the High Command saved for special occasions.

This _was_ a special occasion, she convinced herself. Not every day a scoundrel of Han's caliber became a general.

Heading for her quarters, with her small bounty of sparkling wine and fruit dessert she wondered what Han Solo was doing to her morals. Wonderful things, she decided. She felt like thirteen again, raiding the palace kitchen in the middle of the night with her cousin Trevin.

Reaching the sanctuary of her quarters, she wrapped the bottle in two chem-cooling compresses, which usually belonged in her med-pack. Her aunts would have been scandalized by her non-standard use of the units, but the Rebellion had made her resourceful.

She occupied the following minutes cataloguing her equipment for the mission tomorrow, and repacking in her case the few things she had unpacked the day before. Among those few things was the small collection of still holos gathered in the four years she had been underground. A few were scenes from her public life as they had appeared in the holo-news, rescued by a slicer after the censorship the Emperor had decreed over everything Alderaanian. But of them all, she loved best the first one someone had given to her, and the last one.

The first had been taken after the medal ceremony in Yavin and featured Luke, Chewie, Han and her smiling and cheering. She had slept with that holo-disc under her pillow many nights while Han was captured.

The second one was a cut-off of that holo-movie recorded on Alderaan, specifically the part that showed that embrace between her father and her, so many years ago. Chewie had given it to her on her last naming day and she had been barely able to thank him, so tight had her throat been with emotion. She turned it on now, caressing the disk softly and smiled back to Bail Organa.

"Father," she whispered in her native language. "Today's been the happiest day of my life..."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Princess Leia decided to go through the meager information the Alliance had about the Ewoks, the sentients native to the forest moon of Endor, one more time.

They were primitive, nowhere near space technology, and that was almost all the data contained in the Old Republic file about them. Biologically, they seemed to have followed a parallel evolutionary path as the Wookiees, to whom they were not related. The Ewoks were much smaller and their culture – or the little that was known about it - was totally different. Apparently, they weren't particularly aggressive and that was probably what had saved them from total extermination by the Empire.

She had taken her boots out and sat over the bunk, taking the datapad with her. She had considered for a moment changing into something more comfortable than her combat fatigues, but finally decided that it would be too suggestive. She wasn't ready to be that suggestive... Yet.

Leia Organa stifled a yawn. It was getting late and, truth be told, she had slept next to nothing the past two nights. To keep her awake, she slipped her blaster out of the holster attached to the belt dangling from the only chair and inspected it.

Han had been working on it that same afternoon, checking every vital part of the weapon. He had even cleaned and polished it when he had reassembled the gun. If that was not a proof of Han Solo's love... But no, she did not need more proofs. They had been cumulating one upon the other since last night.

She wished she would have time tomorrow to drop at the training room and work with the blaster. She doubted it. Leaving the weapon on the quilt, she turned her attention again to the datapad. Still, sleep kept tugging at her eyelids.

* * *

Han Solo rubbed his hands on his face. Damn, he was so tired. Only ten minutes before the High Command had released him.

One might think that after a day like today, and a night like last night, he would have gone directly to the Princess' quarters.

Yet, there he was, sitting on his old bunk on the Millenium Falcon. In his mind, he reviewed the highlights of the past hours and finally his thoughts rested on his lover and his friend. Certainly, the kid had become less shy about throwing an arm around the Princess so casually in the middle of a crowd. He wondered again what other things could have changed between those two.

There had been always a friendly competition for the Princess' attentions between Luke and him. A competition in which he knew he had started way behind the wet-behind-the-ears farmboy with Jedi affectations. That knowledge had caused him to feel every once in a while that he had the right to use some less-than-fair methods to make a mark in Leia's shell. A shell that the kid seemed to be able to sidestep so easily all the time.

But no, Leia had come to him, had given herself to him freely and almost publicly, had endured Jabba's humiliations to rescue him. He, of all people, had no right to doubt her.

Luke, on the other hand, was a persistent guy. He loved him like a brother, but he would not give him a millimeter of advantage, as long as he was sure that he was making Leia happy.

Luke was young and good-looking, he'll find himself another woman. Himself at the kid's age hadn't had the slightest idea of how the perfect woman for him would be. That it would be the exasperating, stubborn, sexy, young, snoring Princess that had been sleeping at his side last night. Yeah, she was young too. But she was mature beyond her years, sometimes even more than him.

Last night, he had been pretty sure she was happy, he remembered with a smirk. And this afternoon. _Keep up the good work, Solo_, he encouraged himself. Tonight would be no different.

He rubbed his chin again, deciding that he should shave again first.

* * *

Han Solo walked purposefully along the corridor that led to Leia Organa's cabin. Once he reached the correct hatch, his hand closed in a loose fist and he raised it to knock on the smooth surface.

Suddenly he remembered. _Don't knock_, she had said. Grinning devilishly and imagining a dozen different interesting situations he could surprise her in, he palmed the door open. The first thing he saw upon entering was the barrel of a blaster pointed exactly between his eyes, though.

Slowly, he raised his hands.

"Leia, it's me," he said softly.

The Princess was kneeling over her bunk, her back seeking the cover of the angle between walls, both hands gripping the blaster shakily, lips tight and nostrils flaring.

He had never seen such a look of hate and fear coming from her eyes.

"It's me, Leia" he repeated, trying to convey all his love in those brief words.

Her eyes dilated all of a sudden and she dropped the gun. "Oh, Goddess!" She cried, covering her face with her hands.

In less than a second, he was at her side, drawing her into his arms. He rocked her like child, her breath coming out ragged and shallow. "I'm so sorry," she whispered once and again as she buried her face in the curve of his neck.

"Hey, hey, hey, look at me," he asked, cradling her jaw and wiping a lonely tear from her cheek with his thumb. "Nothing happened, you hear me? Nothing happened!"

She shook her head. "I almost... I was dreaming," the Princess confessed. "The Death Star..."

"It's alright, sweetheart. Nothing happened," he repeated, holding her more tightly.

* * *

Luke Skywalker coughed after choking on his beer. The Rogues had sequestered him, insisting that he had to drink something with them. Everything was fine and he had been having a real good time with them, until he felt the cold running down his spine and every hair of his body stood.

_Leia - _was his first thought.

But the sensation did not come back. It was surely nothing; she was probably sleeping peacefully right now. He would ask her in the morning. Meanwhile, he raised his shields a little more.

* * *

"This is some date..." Leia Organa complained. She was still sitting in his lap, arms draped around each other, her head resting on his shoulder.

"It's not that bad," Han reassured her. "At least nobody's interrupted so far..."

The Princess smiled feebly. "True. Wait until we try to do something interruptible."

"Oh, yeah?" He chuckled. "You planning to do interruptible things?"

The heat on his shoulder was the best reward for his teasing. He loved it. "We got to lay some ground rules first," he added.

"Ground rules?"

"Yep. First of all, no weapons in bed,"

She remained silent for a moment. "Agreed."

"Second of all, I'll knock next time I come into your room."

"There's no need..." She complained, totally embarrassed now.

"Yes, there is, Princess, if I want to live to see another day," he joked – more or less. "You're dangerous even without guns, you know... Specially for my poor old heart," Han added smiling lopsidedly.

Decades later, their kids would wonder why their father had to announce himself so vociferously every time he got home.

"Right," she acknowledged, not noticing at first his double entendre. But then she added flirtatiously, changing effectively the mood. "Too late to go to the observation deck, isn't it?" That was the place in the cruiser couples usually went for a quiet time.

Han caught her drift in stride. "_Extremely_ late. Wouldn't be proper, you being a Princess and all... So, what you wanna do?" He drawled.

She feigned to think of it. "Do you want some Freyin's?"

The Corellian nodded and the Princess stood up to pour the cold wine in two glasses she had provided along with it. Sitting again on the bunk, she offered the bubbling liquid to him.

"What do we toast to?" the Corellian asked.

Leia locked her warm eyes in his. "The newest general in the Alliance?"

He flashed a lopsided grin. "And the most gorgeous Princess in it," he added, touching his glass to hers.

They drank in silence, lost in their thoughts. At last, he motioned slowly towards her, took the glass from her hand, put it away and finally captured her lips in a kiss. It went on, and on, slow and deep, so new and ancient at the same time, so unexpected and desired.

As they pulled back, she noticed that Han's fingers were plucking one of the pins that kept her hair up. "You don't have to do this," she told him. "I'll go to the fresher, it'll be a minute..."

"You know," he declared, ignoring her squirming and going for a second pin at the same time that he nuzzled her throat. "I never really got the chance to undress you..."

"My clothes are so plain," she argued as she started to feel her hair come loose. Her finger came to trace his wrists and his forearms while he kept undoing her braids.

"It's not the clothes, sweetheart, believe me," he laughed. The pins were growing into a considerable pile on her pillow. "Anyway, what happened with the undergarments I gave you last year?"

"Burned them," she confessed with a grimace.

"So _that_ was the smell! Mean, ungrateful Princess!" He tickled her and she fell backwards on the mattress in her attempt to escape, sending pins flying in every direction. He pinned her down, taking advantage of her change in orientation.

"What about Jabba's bikini?" He asked once their laughter receded. "Am I going to see it one day?"

It was a wicked smirk what accompanied her answer now. "Spaced it."

Han Solo raised a brow and leaned closer to her. "Do you have something against sexy undergarments, your Highness?" He asked throatily.

"No, but I like to chose them myself," she breathed against his lips. And that was the last she said for a while.

"A lingerie shop will be our first stop when we get to a civilized planet, Princess," he affirmed before kissing her again.

* * *

_Carbon-freeze... Vader... Boba Fett... No, not him again... Damn, Lando! Chewie... Don't Chewie... Take care... The Princess... Leia, forgive me. _

_Then there were lips over his, **her** lips in a searing, burning, desperate kiss that obliterated everything except the love he felt for her. However, they were cruelly separated and he felt cold, so cold... He looked into her eyes, waiting for the darkness that would come, the darkness that always came._

_And then her lips moved, and she talked._

"_I love you," she said.

* * *

_

Han Solo awoke shivering, covered in cold sweat. He gasped for air, and felt around for something to anchor him. He found the best thing he could have ever asked for: the warm and welcoming body of sleeping Leia Organa.

Her arms instinctively tightened around his waist and her cheek rubbed on his chest. She never really woke up and he was grateful for that.

_What's wrong with you, Solo? _He asked himself_. You've been given the position the Imperials denied you, you have friends, you have something to fight for, you have the woman of your dreams in your arms... What else do you want? Why are you so desperate to hear those words that you have to dream about them? They mean nothing! **This** is real, her skin on your skin is real, the smile on her face is real. The rest is smoke in the wind. Go back to sleep and forget this._

So he did.

* * *

Later, Han awoke again and this time he realized that he was alone in the bunk. It took his sleepy brain a few seconds to remember what she had told him before falling asleep. She was going to have breakfast with Luke because he had something important to tell her. _Sure. _

Turning the reading light on, he realized that her boots were still where they had been last night. That meant that she was still in the fresher. That gave him an idea.

* * *

Luke Skywalker waited before Leia Organa's office with a tray with breakfast for two. He was not sure whether he should make her eat before telling what he had to tell her or not. She was strong, though. The strongest person he had ever met, and that included two Jedi Masters.

He knocked, but nobody answered. After a few more unsuccessful tries, he found it very strange. Sending a thin probing tendril through the Force and into the room behind the door, he realized that she was not there. Odd, he had thought that he was late.

Fifteen minutes later, he followed the trail that her... essence, for lack of a more accurate word, left in the Force. It guided him two levels down, towards the young officer's quarters.

* * *

Han Solo finished toweling his hair and proceeded to slip again into his clothes. To follow the Princess into the shower had been his best idea in _ages_. Now he was ready to defeat the Empire all by himself. He had left her there to finish her feminine ministrations, though.

He was buttoning his trousers when he heard a faint tapping on the main hatch.

* * *

"Leia, are you there?" Luke asked, knocking softly on the Princess door.

Nobody answered.

"Leia!" He pounded a little harder. He was starting to get concerned; she was never late for anything. He was about to send another probing tendril when the hatch opened. 

A bare-chested, bare-footed, wet-haired Han Solo stood on the other side.

"'Morning, _kid_!" He said with a killing smile.

Sweeping the tray from his hands, the Corellian added genially. "How nice of you! I'll tell Leia you dropped by. See you in the hangar at 1000."

With that, the hatch closed again.

The young Jedi's face turned a deep crimson.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Princess Leia Organa sat in her chair in her office on board _Home One_, datapad in hand. The document displayed on the screen was a last will and testament. Her last will and testament.

As the last of the Royal House of Alderaan, one of her priorities since the destruction of the planet had been the survivors. Something that sometimes clashed with her status as Rebel leader, but she had always managed to give it its due importance. It was true that Alderaan had turned into a democracy centuries ago, but the House of Organa had remained of great importance, giving many statesmen and stateswomen to the system. A sage leader, her father had not only been the main actor in the covert political opposition against the Empire, but had also provided for its financial security.

Corporation behind corporation and figurehead behind figurehead, Bail Organa had secured a fair amount of financing for the Rebel Alliance in a net spread across the galaxy. Of course, in the time it had taken for her to recover after Alderaan's destruction, and believing her dead with the rest of her family, many of them had turned the business to their own benefit. Little by little, she had contacted them and most of them had honored the word given to her father.

The funds had been divided between the Alliance and the Alderaanian survivors, although that last part would have to wait to be delivered until the war was over. Therefore, the need for a will in case she did not survive it. Her natural heir, by trust and allegiance, was her friend Winter, who was also her sixth cousin by marriage. Not by blood, but it did not matter.

That detail reminded her of the ciphered datadisk she had found in the last cache of corusca gems and documents hidden by her father that she had been able to recover. The one in Ord Mantell. Han had taken her there, but she could not remember for her life why she had been so angry with him during that whole mission. Until the bounty hunter had ruined it all, that was. Then surviving had been her only thought.

A combination of passwords and a drop of her blood had given her access at last to the message her father had wanted to pass to her. It was simple, only one intriguing sentence.

_If you ever need to know about your blood family, ask Obi-Wan Kenobi. _

And then just _MTFBWY. Love, always. Father_.

Too bad she has gotten the message almost three years after the Jedi's passing away. She would never know the truth now.

The message had confirmed somehow what she had always known, that Bail Organa knew who her birth parents were, but for some unknown reason he could not tell her. Little details that had seemed unconnected at the time had become clearly related. Like why her father had accepted the launching of her political career shortly after a heated –and very private - conference with General Kenobi in his last visit to Alderaan.

Kenobi... Luke... Their names were forever linked in her mind since she met the young Tatooine native. Yet something else nagged at the back of her mind, like a memory long forgotten that had left a scar in her mind.

An image suddenly popped into her consciousness. It was her mother, on her deathbed. Talking to her. Her mother's mind had started to wander in the weeks before her death. In her seven-years-old sly innocence, she had taken advantage of the woman's ailing faculties and barraged her with questions any time she was alone with her. She had not been able to dig out much, though. _Your father brought you from Coruscant after the Fall of the Republic_ and _the green Jedi came with him_. That was all she had found out.

Another connection fired through her brain. The Jedi Temple was in Coruscant. That was where the Jedi children were raised. Luke was the son of a Jedi and Obi Wan had hid in the same planet, curiously only a few klicks away from his aunt and uncle's farm. Could it be...? Could she...? Luke had hinted that she may be Force-sensitive...

Her comm chimed once, interrupting the flow of her thoughts.

She activated it automatically. "Organa here."

"Sweetheart, we're almost ready."

"On my way, _General_," she answered smiling.

Who would know that one day she would LOVE to be called _sweetheart_.

* * *

Oh, dear, she had to think of something to say to Luke now, Leia thought heading for the main hangar. She had no valid excuse to have failed to their appointment. Not even a good enough excuse to scold Han about his behavior early.

Because, the truth was that the moment he had stepped in the shower stall flashing at her his trademark lopsided grin, she had lost all control. Utterly and hopelessly lost it. The complaining words had not made it through her throat and her rational thoughts had died under the touch of his hands. Maybe it was the smoldering look in his eyes, maybe it was the rest of him, but the power he had over her had scared her a little.

She had feigned anger at Han over the silent breakfast but the rebel leader in her was really ashamed. Maybe Mon was right, men were a distraction after all. But what a wonderful one, the most treacherous part of her remarked. She could not even fathom what would be going through Luke's mind right now. What a mess.

She could not keep her stance for long though. When he had pulled her for a last kiss before parting, she had not resisted.

"I'm sorry," he had muttered by her ear at last.

"No, you're not," she said pulling him down for a second one. She had been alert to held a little of her back this time. The Ice Princess was glad to oblige.

He had started down the corridor with one hell of a smug grin on his face and she had been tempted to follow him and erase it... But that would have involved more kissing and that would have led to other things and then it would have been an endless cycle... She snickered, sheer happiness seeping through the worry, and went about her business.

Some of the upper echelon of the Alliance and most of the lower one were waiting in the hangar to say goodbye to Han and his team. She shook hand after hand until her fingers ached and finally gave a last hug to Winter and another to Mon Mothma.

"Take care, Princess," the old woman expressed affectionally, leaving for once old and new differences aside. "May the Force be with you."

Without looking back, she boarded the shuttle and went into the cockpit, taking a seat by Luke. Chewbacca busied himself with the start up.

"Hi," he said softly.

"Luke, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left you waiting for me like that..." she started hurriedly.

The piercing blue eyes looked half-amused and half-embarrassed. "It's ok," he said looking away again. "I should have known better."

"No, it's not ok, Luke," the Princess retorted taking his hand. "It won't happen again, I promise..."

"I'm glad for you and Han," he interrupted. "You deserve each other..."

Leia, look! Chewie suddenly interrupted. Both humans turned their gazes to where the Wookiee signaled. They could see Han through the viewport, talking heatedly to Lando.

"Take her, she's the fastest ship in the fleet!" They heard him say, in a muffled voice.

"Alright, old buddy!" Lando answered laughing. "She won't get a scratch!"

"Oh, Force" Leia breathed in the shuttle's cockpit, eyes wide.

Chewie growled lowly. That's my boy!

"Amazing!" Luke confirmed, and smiled warmly. "Are we sure the carbonite didn't affect his brain?"

"I have your promise, not a scratch," Han's lips were saying now, before finally turning to the shuttle.

We haven't seen anything, the Wookiee warned.

"Nothing," the Princess and the Jedi confirmed, laughing loudly.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

_Why does everything go wrong?_ General Solo asked himself. First Luke was babbling about Vader. Then, they could not capture a couple of stormtroopers without starting a messy and very loud chase. And now Leia was missing. What would go wrong next? He was starting to have a bad feeling about this.

How the hell was he supposed to know that the minute they had captured the two guards, four more would arrive? Leia and the kid had followed them in hot pursuit and then Luke had come back.

Alone.

If he hadn't been so angry with him, he could have pitied Luke, such was the look of regret on his face. But what had he done instead of starting the search? He had just dropped to the ground and sat there, eyes closed and legs crossed, oblivious to the rest of the universe.

As soon as he agreed on a rendezvous point with his troopers, he turned back to him. "Luke, have you finished napping?" he asked brusquely.

The Jedi shook his head, but his eyes remained closed and his posture unaltered. Han Solo rolled his eyes.

At last Luke spoke. "She's alright. She's found some friends."

"Friends? What friends?" The smuggler frowned. "Hey, you were poking in her mind? She won't like that, you know!" He added, angrier now.

Luke Skywalker shrugged. Ignoring his allegations, he continued. "I'm not sure who they are, but she's safe."

The older man shook his head. "If you say so..." He remarked ironically. "Chewie, you coming?" He bellowed. Without looking back, he started in the general direction Leia had gone before.

_Great,_ Luke thought, standing quickly and following him. _Just what I need now. Overprotective Han_.

He had felt Vader's – no, not Vader,_ father_'s – presence upon arriving in the system, and he was sure that he knew exactly where they were. He was just waiting for his son to come to him. Again.

Anyway, he had to find Leia before anything else, and talk to her before it was too late. Then he would be free to go to Vader.

* * *

**Look at the big oafs! They are as loud as a pack of** **_jreekins_!** The Chief Ewok said to his second in command, his stripped fur crawling in disgust.

**They're so ugly! Nasty hairless faces! **His friend agreed, wrinkling his nose.

**Yeah... The giant looks a little more _normal_, though, but I can't understand what's he doing with them... See? They're walking straight into the trap.**

His bright black eyes suddenly blinked in delight. **Hey, are you in the mood for having some fun?** He asked. **They ruined our hunting party after all...**

**What do you mean?**

**Let's take the golden droid and...**

He kept whispering for a while and his friend kept trying to suppress laughing.

* * *

"Chewie," Luke whispered, taking advantage that Han was a few meters ahead of them and could not hear him. "Have you heard them? They're all around us..."

The Wookiee nodded.

"When I tell you, you start acting as idiotic as you can, understood? There's no danger, I can feel it. They'll bring us to Leia."

The Wookiee nodded again.

"Now!" The Jedi ordered. Chewbacca run following the smell of fresh meat.

* * *

They dropped to the ground heavily, Chewie almost crushing his human companions with his body, the heavy droids on top of them.

"Watch it, you overrated tangle of circuits!" Han protested, rolling Artoo away from his chest. It was then that he noticed the myriad of shiny eyes looking at him from behind the pointy spears. His hand went automatically to his blaster, but Luke stopped him before he could draw.

"Don't." He ordered. Since when Luke gave him orders? But before his hand could move, though, the Jedi was covering it with his own. "Look."

His eyes sled to the spearheads, and then Han saw it. The oily gleam in the sharpened stones. "Poison?"

"I think so," Luke answered, looking straight into the eyes of the little furball that seemed to be the chief of the party.

Han Solo grinned through his teeth. "My mistake," he said raising his hands. "Hey, Chewie, I think we found your lost cousins!"

The creatures talked briefly between them. The chief signaled Threepio and the ones that were not guarding the three prisoners bowed before him.

_What the...? _

This was completely ridiculous. Did the little furballs really intend to roast them?

"Luke, you better do something quick," Han growled, watching wearily the flames that were too close for his liking. And stupid Goldenrod was doing nothing but sitting in that makeshift throne and playing god, even if he could talk their language. _Unbelievable!_

A familiar voice was raised over the chatting of the natives. "But these are my friends!"

"Leia!" Han and Luke yelled at the same time.

You've carried the joke too far, my friend, the Medicine man told Chief Chirpa, watching Princess Leia struggle to free herself. Free them already!

Just a little more, he answered, using the hunting language that the droid could not translate.

The Princess tried to get to her friends' side, but a dozen hands stopped her.

"Threepio, tell them if they don't do as you wish, you'll get angry and use your magic," Luke instructed.

"But Master Luke, what magic?"

What happened next surprised Ewoks, humans, droids and Wookiee alike. The wooden throne with See-Threepio on top started rising in the air and slowly turning.

**You were right, Logray**, Chief Chirpa agreed, giving quickly the orders to liberate the captives. **These are powerful strangers**.

Han Solo hit the floor and in a second he was on his feet and running to Leia, gathering her in his arms like if he never intended to let her go. He found himself suddenly kissing her fervently. There was nothing more important in the galaxy to do at the moment. Yet in the back of his mind, a little voice kept repeating: _Luke made Threepio fly_.

* * *

Luke Skywalker stepped on the bridge that joined two of the several sections of the darkened Ewok village. In its way, it was a beautiful, peaceful place. He did not want to leave, but he had to. At least Han would have now all the help he needed.

Gently, he called Leia in his mind, while subtly nudging Han to remain where he was and get about his business. For once, he needed her all for himself, just for a few minutes. Maybe the last they would have.

* * *

He hated to leave her like this, right after dropping the bomb. Luke kissed his sister's brow one more time, hugging her tightly, wishing he could help her through this difficult moment. But he could not. The time was ripe to do what he had to do.

Their foreheads touched and suddenly they knew that it was something they had done long ago, in the mists of their infancy. Silently, she spoke to him.

_I don't want you to go, Luke. _

_I don't want to go, Leia, but I must. _

_Who's going to teach me if you don't come back? _

_I'll be always with you, no matter what._

The Jedi caressed the Princess' cheek one last time. Again, he nudged Han, this time to come to Leia's side. She should not be alone right now.

* * *

Han Solo watched Luke hug Leia and then... He could not believe his own eyes. Was Luke...? Was he... kissing her? Caressing her?

His heart sank deeper than the deeper Mon-Calamari ocean.

* * *

Leia Organa clutched convulsively the wooden railing, not even noticing the splinters that were drawing blood from her palms.

_Father, why didn't you tell me? _

The monstrosity that Luke had just dropped in her lap was almost too painful to think about. It stained everything, even the word for _father_, which she knew in her heart that she would never pronounce again without shivering. For a brief moment, the darkness below her wobbled and her eyes blurred. She tried to focus in the only good part of it.

_Luke is my brother. _

An image of a wounded young man in a med-center fled before her eyes.

_I kissed my own brother_.

The darkness wobbled a little closer.

"Hey, what's going on?" Han's deep voice interrupted.

"Nothing, I just wanted to be alone for a while," she answered without even thinking. She jerked away from the railing, her hands letting go of it as if it was burning.

Han was not buying it. He knew her too well. He knew those lines of tension over the bridge of her nose. He knew the sadness in her eyes.

"C'mon, tell me. What's going on?" He insisted, leaning on the opposite railing.

"I can't tell you," she stammered.

Those simple words impacted on his chest, shattering everything he had patiently constructed along the years, along the blissful weeks of the voyage to Bespin. Blistering rage erupted from his wounded core.

"Could you tell Luke? Is that who you can tell?" Han accused.

Hot tears were falling from her eyes down her cheeks, but she turned her face from him. She did not want him to see her moment of defeat.

He walked away, angry with her, with himself, with the universe that was so cruel to put what he wanted so close and so far at the same time.

He did not go very far, though. Her helpless crying stopped him dead in his tracks and made him turn around and come back.

_I can't do this,_ he thought, watching her hunched shoulders tremble with each sob.

"I'm sorry," he blurted.

She turned tear-blurred eyes to him. "Just hold me," she asked, diving for the shelter of his chest.

"What's wrong?" Her lover muttered, stroking her hair.

She just shook her head.

"Where's Luke going?" He insisted.

"Vader..." She choked.

_That's what's wrong. _

_I'm Vader's daughter._

Pushing him away, she leaned over the railing and vomited violently.

* * *

He brought Leia to the hut the Ewoks had prepared for them, and she let him, looking lost and disoriented. "Something I ate", she had said. Sitting on the bed, she suddenly noticed her backpack and reached for it.

"You want something to drink?" Han asked with concern.

"No," she answered distractedly. Taking something out of her pack, she pushed it into Han's pocket.

"Take it. Read it," she almost ordered. "We'll talk tomorrow."

She lay on the cot and assumed a fetal position, never letting go of the Corellian's hand. After a while, her breath was even and her face slacked, but the second he wanted to let go of her fingers, they tightened again.

"Don't leave me," she pleaded softly.

Sighing, he made himself more comfortable, leaning against the wooden wall. He remembered then what she had given him. It was the little datapad he had found in his cabin on the Falcon a few days ago. He fingered it on and started reading.

_Dear Han. _

_It sounds weird, but it is the proper heading now, isn't it? _

He smiled. Maybe it was not as bad as he feared. He kept reading, caressing her finger tenderly.

_Still very worried about Luke... _

Aha, interesting. So she really heard him.

_Not-so-dear-anymore Han... _

He winced.

_I think I'm pregnant. _

WHAT?

_I'm not pregnant. _

Irrationally, he felt some strange moisture in the corner of his eye. Blasted humidity.

Father told me more than once about the things Jedi could do, but I guess you sometimes have to see to believe. Luke let me watch him training today and what he can do is simply amazing. I couldn't stop watching him, he's simply fascinating...

He closed the file brusquely. That was it. He didn't need to read anymore. Everything was perfectly clear now. She wouldn't be the first woman physically attracted to one man, and in love with another. He had heard enough unfaithful wives claim exactly that. He understood that she had meant no harm, she was just so young...

But it was plain from her reaction to Luke's departure that she was deeply affected by it. Kriffit, he had kissed her before going! Maybe she was torn between the two. That would be typical of her, feeling some kind of weird obligation because she had given herself to him a few times. And that would be typical from the kid too, waiting for him to come back to take his chances with Leia. Stupid farmboy with the hero complex!

_That's it Solo. You know what to do. She's feeling too miserable already. It was all a big mistake, wasn't it? You know what to do to make her happy_.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Leia awoke slowly to a strange feeling of peace. Her eyes still closed, she let reality slowly permeate her being.

She had dreamed all night, but of what she did not recall. Luke had cut out his presence, that presence she had recognized, but not felt, for the first time last night. It was as if he had never existed. If he was dead or alive, she did not know. And yet, some presence that was definitely not-Han had calmed, reassured her throughout her darkest night.

Somehow, she could see things clearer now. Yes, she was Vader's offspring. But her father would always be Bail Organa. Nothing could change that. He had known, - yes, of course he had known! – it was so clear now. And yet he had taken her, raised her, loved her.

That could not be changed. The idea that someone could be so generous, selfless and brave as to adopt that monster's child filled her with a sense of wonder. All right, Luke knew and still loved her, but he had no option. Or did he?

In the brief seconds between the moment when he had told her who his father was and the moment when he had revealed the rest of that sad truth, her soul had held a battle between revulsion and compassion. Love and hate. Which of them would have won in the end she honestly did not know, but she wondered if she would have been able to still love Luke had she not turned out to be his twin sister, branded by the same dark mark.

She wondered if she would ever be able to love as unselfishly as the Organas had loved her. And that led to another painful, inevitable question. Would Han still love her, if he knew?

_Don't worry, he will... _

"Mama?" She whispered still half asleep.

Nobody answered, but a gentle breeze caressed her cheek.

Startled, she sat on the cot, pushing the blankets aside. Something restrained slightly the movement of her hands, and as she turned them, she found her palms neatly covered with bacta patches. Someone had cleaned and dressed them without waking her up, and, beyond popular belief, she knew only one soul capable of such delicateness.

Outside the hut, she heard Han's voice instructing the Ewoks for the upcoming battle, and Threepio's translating what he said.

Time to get up and bring down an Empire.

* * *

Luke Skywalker entered the Death Star's improvised throne room where his nemesis awaited him, escorted by Darth Vader, his father.

Below them, on the sanctuary moon, Paploo the Ewok had the brightest idea of his life.

A few light-minutes away, the Alliance fleet dropped out of hyperspace.

* * *

_We have failed,_ Leia Organa thought with despair, while being escorted out of the bunker by two platoons of stormtroopers.

Inside the massive destruction weapon hanging from the Endorian sky, a young Jedi gave in to anger and hopelessness.

"The Death Star is operational!" General Calrissian shouted into his comm unit.

* * *

The little furballs' performance had been brilliant, but he should better hot-wire the bunker's door now or everything would be lost, Han Solo pondered. Half a meter behind him, the love of his life cried in pain. _Leia!_

"Sister?" Vader asked into the shadows surrounding a terrified Luke Skywalker. "So you have a sister..." He repeated triumphantly. Silent laughing flooded the throne room.

"Come one, Han, old buddy," Lando mumbled steering the Millenium Falcon right to evade yet another shot from the Death Star. "Don't let me down..."

* * *

Force lightning hit the helpless young man that had dared defy the Emperor's power. "Father, help me!" He cried.

Leia Organa almost fainted, so sharp was the pain suddenly paralyzing her limbs. "Luke," she whispered, and again she was knocked to the ground, but now by something far more tangible. The shield generator blew spectacularly in the morning.

"I'm going in!" Wedge Antilles radioed up in space.

* * *

"Are you alright?" Han Solo asked with concern.

"I'm fine," the Princess of Alderaan grumbled.

She had silently let him dress yet another wound. How many would they still be? How many would she let him blindly care for? How many could she?

The air shifted, and she raised her eyes instinctively to the sky. A flower of light bloomed in a thousand colors, astonishingly beautiful for the myriad of deaths it nursed in her womb. Leia's breath caught in her throat, as if somehow she could hear an echo of a million voices crying for the last time.

"Hey," Han called to her attention. "I'm sure Luke wasn't on that thing when it blew..."

_Luke? _

_I'm... alright. Everything's alright now._

The Princess relaxed slightly and reassured Han. "No, he wasn't. I can feel it..."

Solo sighed. It was all so clear that he felt like crying.

_I'll see you soon, Leia. I... I have something to do. _

"You love him," he suddenly declared. Sadness deepened his voice and for a moment he hid his eyes from her. "Don't you?"

Not quite understanding what he meant, she nodded slightly. "Yes..."

The former smuggler smiled courageously. "I understand." He took a deep breath. _There goes nothing._ "When he comes back, I won't get in the way." _And I hope he'll make you really happy_.

Leia Organa looked up at him, dumbfounded. Slowly she realized what he was talking about and a soft smile spread through her features. "It's not like that at all..." The look on Han's face was so... He looked so... _vulnerable_, as if his life depended on her next words. "He's my brother," she added gently.

Sneaking a hand on the nape of his neck, she brought his lips slowly to hers. "You never read that file, didn't you?" She accused tenderly.

He shrugged, smiling apologetically, still too surprised by the turn of events to say anything. Instead, he kissed her again, this time savoring her fully, the sweet taste of love. "I read some..." He breathed into the corner of her mouth. "Until the part you found Luke fascinating..."

The Princess of Alderaan laughed loudly, but Han could have sworn that for a brief moment, it sounded like if she were crying.

What are you doing here, you big oafs? Paploo asked indignant. Debris can fall from the sky any moment! Go cover! He yelled into Han's ear, while Threepio translated dutifully.

It was true. The Death Star had left the moon's orbit when the shield fell, in order to fight the Alliance's fleet. But still... Better get under cover for a while.

They spent the afternoon cleaning the woods from the remaining Imperial troops, Leia in charge of the captured stormtroopers, he himself organizing the troops.

* * *

At the end of the day, the fleet finally sent fresh troops and transports for the prisoners, the Endor system having been secured. A few hours of celebration were decreed for the non-essential personnel, and so the celebration started.

Lando brought back the _Falcon_, almost intact.

"You said not a scratch!" Han accused him, in his best angry tone.

"Well, it's not a scratch, buddy..." Lando stammered, and then added, relieved to see his friend's laughing face. "It's just a tiny sensor dish missing!"

Chewbacca roared, lamenting the long hours he had worked installing it.

Next on Han's list was to check on the princess. She told him over the comm that she was dispatching the last captives and then she intended to drop by the _Falcon_ to take a well-deserved shower.

Solo inspected his clothes and decided that he needed one as well.

* * *

While the sonic waves cleaned his body, he reflected about the stunning news he had learned today. Luke was Leia's brother? She was his _sister_? That should be something good, right? But why was Leia so upset last night, then, why had the Kid undertaken a suicide mission?

He did not want to even think about it. The only thing that Leia had disclosed so far was that she did not know about it until yesterday and apparently Luke had found just recently. If they did not know, they were not guilty, whatever was that had happened between them, beyond that kiss in the med-ward.

What she probably needed to know was that he still loved her, that he still wanted her. He could do that.

* * *

Leia Organa reached the ramp of the Millenium Falcon and entered the freighter. Calrissian had brought down a few Rogues with him, and she had found them, along with Chewie, trying to instruct the Ewok chefs in the right way of preparing a genuine Corellian barbecue.

She had to tell Han about her parentage, she had decided somewhere during the afternoon, and this moment was as good as any other one. Steeling her soul with resolution, she walked through the curved corridor.

"Han?" She asked.

"Over here!" Came his voice from his quarters.

He had taken a shower already it seemed, but had not quite managed to put his clothes on. At a turn of the winding passage, she found herself staring at the imposing figure of a naked Han Solo.

The Princess raised a brow.

"You greet all your guests like that?" She teased, her cheeks turning a lovely pink, and closed the hatch behind her.

"C'mon, Princess, you're not a guest here anymore..." he said, coming closer.

"No? Since when?" she asked, mirroring his lopsided smile.

"Since I gave you the emergency codes to the Falcon, remember?

"But that was... Oh..." She remembered the episode suddenly. It had been a violent discussion, some two years before, which had ended in her shouting that she could not trust him because _he_ did not trust _her_, which had ended in Han mostly shoving the codes down her throat, at least in his mind. "That was sneaky..." She said waving a finger in front of his hairy chest.

"You think?"

She closed the distance between them and they fused in a long, soul-bonding embrace. "Missed you," Han mused over her hair.

"I can tell," she laughed. A kiss interrupted whatever else she wanted to say. "I need to talk to you," Leia said breathlessly at last.

"Then talk," he incited, sitting on his knees on the bunk and dragging her with him. He positioned her between his bare thighs and started to massage her shoulders. "You're so tense..."

"I'm so tired," the Princess sighed, hanging her head. Her lover's hands slid down her back and up again.

"You were saying?" He teased.

"Hm," she started hesitantly. "It's about Luke..."

"He's still your brother?"

"Yes..."

"Good." Han's palms brushed her arms, avoiding carefully the blaster burn in her left one.

"It's... about our..."

He made an unintelligible sound of encouragement, while his lips caressed her neck. His fingers tugged gently at her blouse's collar.

"Han, this is important..."

"This is important too," he answered smugly.

"What?"

"That you're the most beautiful woman I ever met and I can't help touching you..." His tongue reached the spot on her right shoulder that he had all ready learned drove her wild.

"Oh, Goddess," she breathed, her nails digging in his leg's flesh. "What do you want from me..?

"I wanna have you on _my_ bunk for a change," he drawled hotly by her ear, thinking that the question was directed at him. His fingers danced on the front of her shirt, teasing her breasts so slightly, making her arch her back and at the same time, press it to his chest.

Her hands rubbed lazily on his thighs, caressing the hairs that coarsened towards his groin. Han stopped breathing when her thumbs brushed close to his manhood.

"I can't ..." She choked when his arms closed around her, almost immobilizing her.

"Then don't..." He backfired, turning her and lowering her body to the mattress, proceeding then to sear her lips with a burning kiss.

_Just one more time... _

The rest was a confusion of arms and legs, of clothes yanked apart just enough to pursue their end, of curses and sighed endearments.

He plunged into her with unstoppable ardor, and pushed again and again, driven out of control by her passionate – and loud - response to each of his caresses. Until her head hit the panel that acted as headboard to the bunk and he stopped, scared of himself. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't you dare stop..." She hissed, buckling her hips under him and taking him deeper inside.

His eyes darkened with more desire that he had ever felt, and, cushioning her head with a protective hand, he got lost in her.

"I love you, Han," she cried with the last shudders of her body. "Goddess, I love you so much..."

Solo hid his face on her neck and fought back the tears.

His composure recovered after a while, he combed his fingers through her long dark hair, now partially unbound. "It's good to be home," he whispered.

"Yes, it is..." she answered with a tired smile.

Yes, it was.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Aubé '_Tough as Nails'_ Canaille is an OC from my friend **_DarthBreezy_. **You can learn more about her in **_Breezy_**'s stories, back there at the JC forums. Ask me for the links if you're interested. Thanks**_, Breeze_**!

* * *

**Chapter 16**

The kid had a gift for it; there was no doubt about it. One of the younger pilots, a guy he barely knew the name of, had brought down to the forest moon a strange artifact, with strings attached in a weird fashion and a shape resembling more some woman's hips than any music tool Han Solo had ever seen. But the sound of it was sweet and wickedly contagious when the musician picked up the rhythm.

The Ewoks had joined him immediately improvising after his lead in a surprisingly harmonic way. It was not much later that sentients of a dozen different species were spinning, shaking and wobbling on the improvised dance floor.

The Princess and he, though, had been more attracted at the moment by the promising scent that came from a platform from where Lando's voice could be heard, very loud.

"This was NOT what I told you to do!"

Chewie growled his agreement.

The couple climbed up and suddenly the stench of burned meat assaulted them. "What's going on?" Han asked.

His first mate briefed him with a few concerned and hungry barks. The Corellian inspected the barbecue pit. "Who did this?" He complained, picking a long stick to rearrange the coals. Lando shrugged. "Never mind, I'll fix it..."

"You think you can salvage something, Han?" Leia queried, wrinkling her nose.

"You're gonna have the best Corellian barbecued steak of your life, sweetheart!"

* * *

He had finally selected the best pieces for the Princess and him and carried them to a secluded corner between a giant trunk and the outer railing, where they peacefully ate behind a curtain of leaves.

Afterwards, Han had circled her waist with his arms and the Princess snuggled comfortably in his embrace. She was silent though, had been for a long while.

"You wanted to talk," he hinted.

Leia Organa sighed and shook her head. "Not now..."

He brushed his fingers against her silky, unbound tresses. "Alright..." The nearby music picked its pace. Han Solo kissed the Princess' neck. "Do you fancy a dance?"

And before she could say yes or no, he dragged her to the dance-floor.

* * *

They danced, their bodies slowly swaying like one to a sensual tune, and yet there was no hurry, no tension, all urges spent – for the time being. They weren't the only ones dancing when they started, but they soon were. Her cheek on his chest, his chin on her head, fingers entwined, they were lost in a world of their own. The witnesses agreed they were a sight for sore eyes.

And then, the Princess just lifted her face and kissed him in front of everybody, hard on his lips.

At first, Solo recoiled, surprised by her boldness. He shouldn't have been. Not at this point of their relationship. It took him only a second to recover and kiss her back.

And, just for the record, as soon as they broke, he kissed her again.

Lando Calrissian seemed to materialize suddenly by them, clearing his throat. "Please, Han, she's a Princess," he said all fatherly. "Let me dance with her or get her to some place more private..." His last words came out somewhat slurred, and the Corellian noticed his friend was already drunk.

"Just a sec, Lando," Han asked, smiling devilishly. Bending her backwards until her hair swept the floor, he kissed Leia Organa again, while the crowd cheered.

Amused and only barely flushed, Leia caressed his cheek and let herself be drawn off of him by Calrissian. Han Solo gave them reluctantly his blessing and looked for comfort in a pitcher full of Ewok beer.

* * *

It was not the same stuff he had been drinking earlier. It was richer, stronger; it was no wonder that everybody was getting drunk and quickly. Surveying the crowd, he noticed that the Ewoks were as drunk as everybody else, the cute little guys.

Lando soon bowed in front of Leia and Wedge took his place. Now that he could leave her in more secure hands, Han Solo headed to the sentry posts. He had to check on the guys on duty, make sure they stay away of that beer until their shift was over. Relieving them, that would be a problem for later.

* * *

It took him some coaxing and even some rank pulling, but Han at last convinced the guards to stay away from the alcohol. When he came back to the party, it still was going on at full throttle, though some beings had obvious signs already of being of the verge surrendering to the stimulant, and exhaustion.

He steered through the crowd to Chewie, who was sitting on a sturdy bench watching the couples of dancers. Leia was now doing it with Wes Janson, who looked at Han over her shoulder and unconsciously adjusted the distance between himself and the Princess.

"Any news?" Solo asked his Wookiee companion. Chewbacca shook his head.

Having nothing else to say, he sipped cautiously from a pitcher he had got himself in his way back and watched the woman of his dreams dance. He could watch her all night, he realized. There was this feeling of contentment pervading his soul. It had been an unbelievable day, and that was a clear understatement. He had thought all lost, in every sense, and he had been completely wrong.

After their last session of lovemaking, which was getting incredibly... He fumbled for a word in his mind, and failed. There were not even words for it, just this immense happiness, this feeling of fulfillment, of purpose. Anyway, after it, she had forced him to read the rest of that file in her datapad, and then they just had cuddled together until they almost fell asleep. Chewie had knocked on their door right then, reminding them that the barbecue was in its making.

Yet, watching her now dancing and laughing to her partner's jokes, he could see that her smile did not really reach her eyes.

"Han, my friend..." Lando's voice, thickened with alcohol, interrupted his thoughts. He was approaching leaning heavily on a tiny specimen of a woman wearing an orange flightsuit.

"G'evening, General Solo," she greeted him smiling embarrassed.

Han struggled to put a name to the slightly round face framed in short, dark hair. Then it clicked. Yes, of course, that party, years ago... The girl who threw up on Luke's boots!

"How're you doing, _Nails_?" He greeted warmly. "Hanging out with this looser?" He addressed her, nodding towards Lando, who smiled inanely.

"Uh... I just thought the general here needed a little help..." she answered, trying to assume a martial pose while still supporting her commanding officer's weight.

"At ease, hum," Han told her, covertly scanning her rank badge, "Lieutenant."

Both Calrissian and the girl pilot collapsed on a nearby seat. Immediately, the gambler turned rebel general threw his arms around her waist.

"General Calrissian," she drawled suddenly, half-serious, half-playful, "if ya don't take yar Wookiee paws from my afterburners right _now_, ya won't be able to hold a balster tomorrow."

"Alright, alright," Lando surrendered, moving his arms a little higher on her waist. "She's Corellian," he informed Han as an explanation.

"Yeah, I noticed that," Solo laughed.

Chewie barked sharply.

"Oops, sorry..." _Nails_ apologized, noticing him for the first time. Elbowing the dark-skinned man by her, she extended her hand to the Wookiee. "Aubé Canaille, Green Twelve."

"YOU are Green Twelve?" Han almost choked on his beer.

"If she only would listen to me..." the dark-skinned man sighed, oblivious to the fact that nobody listened to him.

"Yes." She lowered her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant," Solo said softly. Now he knew who she was. One of the only two survivors from Crynyd's squadron, and certainly one hell of a pilot from what he had heard.

Of course, all squadrons had lost pilots, not to mention the whole crews of _Liberty_ and another two cruisers. And the Rebel tradition dictated that no pilot who had lost a comrade should spend the first night alone. Lando was just honoring that tradition, he now realized.

Chewbacca growled softly his condolences as well and the young pilot accepted them soberly. Condolences were something no one needed to translate.

Han's eyes slipped to the dance floor, where the other surviving Green was just bowing in front of Leia. He was Tycho Celchu, of Alderaan.

"You got y'self a good one there, you lucky b... bantha," Lando stuttered, noticing his diverted attention.

For once, Solo did not answer and just looked to the floor, smiling softly.

"She's beautiful woman..." Lando continued. "And so brave..." He told Aubé, who now looked entranced by his words. "To defy Vader like that..."

Solo raised a brow.

"Lando..." Han warned him, but he did not hear him.

"And then when Vader was about to freeze this guy, she stepped in and kissed him in front of everybody, like she did before," he winked at _Nails_, "and then shouted that she loved him!"

"What?" Han was intrigued now. He was making this up, right? One of his famous stories...

"...And the Corellian beek-monkey here just answered 'I know'!"

"Hey!"

You did, pal, Chewie agreed.

Han Solo's jaw dropped and his eyes commuted from Lando to the Wookiee to the Princess who still danced with the Alderaanian pilot. As on queue, she turned to him and smiled.

You didn't remember? Chewbacca asked softly. His captain shook his head, and the Kashyyykian placed his giant paw on his shoulder tenderly. Then he pushed him playfully aside and Solo laughed, suddenly delighted.

* * *

Aubé Canaille observed the trio with rounded eyes, confused. She was not sure what had really happened, if General Calrissian was joking or not. That General Solo and the Princess were an item was obvious for anyone with eyes to see, and still... She had the feeling that there was something more to it, but that was not her business anyway.

Meanwhile, General Calrissian – Lando, she could not call him General anymore, or could she? - had placed his dark head on her lap and fallen asleep. Softly, she brushed her fingers through his curls.

The Wookiee growled something in her direction. She could not understand him, but the meaning was clear, he was teasing her.

"He did an outstanding job up there, Chewbacca," she answered.

"I heard you did as well, _Nails_," Solo intervened.

The pilot grimaced. "Maybe," she said. "I was not alone."

"Don't be so humble, everybody's impressed," Han continued. "You'll be surely promoted and, who knows, maybe they'll offer you a place with the Rogues... Or even you own squad. What would you say to that?"

He was being quite seductive right now and Aubé realized that the man probably always got what he wanted, when he wanted. But the concepts he was exposing were alien to her. "I'm not sure, General..."

"You have other plans?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. I'd like to go and see my family again. It's been so long..."

"Corellia?"

"Yeah..."

* * *

Clapping interrupted them as the musician took a break and stopped his playing. The crowd broke and Han Solo scanned it looking for Princess Leia, but Aubé's voice called to his attention again.

"Have you seen L... I mean, Commander Skywalker?"

Dark gray eyes pierced through brown, and the ex-smuggler smiled knowingly. "No, but I have word that he's alright. Don't worry." So she was still interested...

"Thanks."

"Han." A small hand was placed on his shoulder.

"Hey, sweetheart..." He greeted, standing up to wrap Leia in his long arms.

"Can we talk?" She whispered. Han nodded, and they stepped away from Aubé, Chewie and sleeping Lando. "I... I have to do something. Luke's calling me."

"How...?" He started to ask, but interrupted himself. He'll never get used to it. "I'll go with you."

"No, I need to go alone. It's not far," she said firmly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." With a quick kiss on his cheek, she disappeared into the shadows.

Are you really going to let her go alone? Chewie, whose sensitive ears had registered the whole conversation, asked.

"What d'ya think?" Solo growled, and reached for the night-goggles in an abandoned equipment pack.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

It was not difficult to follow the Princess through the forest of Endor. The trees, though wide enough to hide anybody smaller than an adult Hutt, were fairly spaced and Leia's body temperature made her appear as a bright silhouette in Han Solo's visor.

There was nobody else in sight, fortunately, and the air was quiet and thick, foretelling rain maybe.

Just when he was starting to think that wherever Leia was going was not that close after all, he noticed a bright spot ahead. He ripped the goggles from his eyes and studied his surroundings. There was a patch of land free of trees some thirty meters in front of him and the quivering light of flames could be seen coming from it.

Han moved forward a bit more and then hid behind a trunk. He did not really want to intrude in Luke's and Leia's business, he just really wanted to know that she was all right. This whole family thing had her upset enough to maybe not notice a stray stormtrooper.

Peaking carefully around the tree, he spotted two familiar figures by the fire and he breathed, relieved. Luke was really there.

There was suddenly a brusque movement and the Alderaanian's voice echoed in the forest. "No, Luke!"

"Leia..." The Jedi's voice pleaded.

"Leave me alone!" She shouted again.

Han treaded into the clearance just in time to watch Leia yank her arm from her brother's grasp and flee around the fire.

One more step and he stopped dead in his tracks, stunned at the sight of the dark form that the flames at the same time hid and revealed. His heart stumped painfully, barely believing what his eyes were telling him, when he turned to his friend. "What does this mean, Luke?"

The younger man turned his back to him and answered nothing.

"Luke!" Han Solo grasped his arm and forced the Jedi to look at him in the eye. "You crazy?" He bellowed. "Dontcha know what that... monster... did to your _sister_?" He finished intently.

Luke's lips trembled, but again he said nothing.

"He tortured her, Luke!" Han continued, spitting his words in his face. "Badly! He... he even raped her mind! She still has nightmares about it!"

The eyes of his younger friend rounded, and understanding downed on his face. Freeing himself from the Corellian's hold, he turned his gaze again to the fire. "Yes..." He sighed. "That was his way with family..." He rubbed his right wrist against the leg of his pants.

"Family?" Han asked befuddled. "What you talking about, Kid?"

The familiar blue eyes turned for a second to him and then flickered in the red light.

"He..." The words came out slow and inexorably, "was my father..."

"Your father?" Han's expression and intonation, that mixture of horror and compassion was so identical to Leia's last night, that Luke Skywalker almost laughed.

Now he looked at his friend more squarely. "Yes, Han. My father. _Our_ father."

Han Solo's eyes went from the man in black in front of him to the point in the forest where the Princess had disappeared and back again.

"Go, Han," Luke encouraged. "She's not far, just behind the first row of trees. She needs you."

Solo opened his mouth as to say something, but changed his mind. Nodding silently, he turned on his heels and sprinted towards the edge of the woods.

Luke Skywalker turned again his attention to the pyre. It was done. Now the future was really in motion.

* * *

Luke was right, Han's swirling mind noticed. There she was, slumped between the roots of a tree. She was hugging her knees close to her chest and had placed her forehead on them, effectively isolating herself from her surroundings.

He longed to touch her, comfort her, hug her tight until she could forget all about it, but he instinctively knew that he would be rejected if he tried that right now. Not knowing what else really do, he dropped to the ground next to his love and prepared himself for a long night.

* * *

The flames danced around the seemingly invincible dark form for a long time, hours maybe, he could not tell. Neither Luke nor the Princess had moved a muscle. Suddenly, there was a loud crack and the pyre collapsed on itself, sparkling wildly, beautifully. Both twins gave a strangled cry.

Han saw Luke fell on his knees and call out loud to some invisible entity. "Mother!"

His look turned to Leia, who had lifted her face, streaked by glistening tears falling from dazed eyes.

Hesitantly, he reached to her and touched her hand. She laced her fingers with him and squeezed them hard, but never took her eyes from the fire.

"Look..." She whispered.

He followed her gaze and saw... It was only many years later that he really understood what he saw.

There were people inside the flames... some Jedi, and a woman... He blinked in surprise, and when he opened his eyes again, there was only Luke, the Princess and he by the pyre.

The flames died slowly and the forest grew darker. Cool wind shook the top of the trees far above and the embers sizzled with the first raindrops.

The only other sound was Leia's soft sobs. She had hidden her face again, trapping his hand between her forehead and her knee.

* * *

At last, Luke fumbled for something on the ground and dumped it in his pocket before rising. Then he walked unhurriedly to his sister and his friend.

He crouched in front of them. "Leia," he called softly.

She did not acknowledge him. "Leia," he insisted a little louder. Han opened his mouth but the Jedi silenced him with a gesture. He placed his hand on his sister's knee, and she flinched at the touch.

"You're not alone in this," Luke said soothingly. "You don't _need_ to go alone through this... Right, Han?" He added, given Leia's lack of response.

Solo sighed. "He's right, sweetheart," he agreed. He slipped his hand from her hold and started stroking her back lightly and then more confidently.

The two men locked their eyes over the silent Princess. "I'll go now, Leia..." Luke announced, climbing back to his feet. "Who do I have to report to?" He asked to Han.

The Alliance General realized that his young friend was asking about his status regarding his apparent desertion. With a smirk, he appeased his worries. "Nobody's asked for you yet... Except for that girl _Nails_ and the Rogues..."

Luke Skywalker smiled faintly. "Thanks, Han." He turned to leave.

"Luke..." Leia's raspy voice almost startled him. "Thank you..." She simply said.

Her brother's face lightened and his blue eyes softened. With a new spring in his step, he disappeared towards the Ewok village.

* * *

The rain fell harder, spending the remaining coals completely, leaving Han Solo and Leia Organa in the dark.

Han pulled her into his arms and she complied without words, placing her temple on his chest as she usually did. The air was damp and smelled of sweet leaves mixed with ashes and burned duraplast. The sound of the rain on the leaves and ground reverberated under the canopy of trees almost drowning a human voice carried through the exotic acoustics of the forest.

The voice sang softly, the words barely understandable.

_Now the wind has lost my sail...  
Now the scent has left my trail...  
Who will find me,  
Take care and side with me?  
Guide me back, safely to my home,  
Where I belong... Once more..._

_  
Where is my star in heaven's bough?  
Where is my strength, I need it now...  
Who can save me,  
Lead me to my destiny...  
Guide me back, safely to my home,  
Where I belong... Once more... _

The wind changed direction and there was only the rain again.

* * *

"So, what you wanna do now, Princess?" Han's deep voice rumbled in her ear.

"I don't know..." She answered heavily.

He had never seen her more defeated. His pushy, fiery Leia did not know what to do? "That's terrible..." He drawled lightly.

Leia smiled softly against his shirt and tried to follow his lead, without much success. "I really don't know..." She shook her head, looking for the right words. "I don't even know which last name I'll use tomorrow... Organa or..."

"_Skywalker_," Han finished for her. He was tempted to make joke. _You know, since the first time I saw you and the kid together, I knew you would end calling yourself Skywalker._ For once, he was absolutely sure it was not the right thing to say.

"You could use mine," he blurted instead.

The Princess pushed herself up and away from him in a fraction of a second. "Is that a joke?" 

"No joke." And that was the pure truth, he realized to his own surprise. "You would have to marry me, though; we don't want people thinking you are _my_ sister after all..." He babbled, scared by her silence. He wished he could see her face.

"You don't know what you're talking about, Han..."

"I do, sweetheart."

He was up now too and stepped forward to her. He did not know what else to say. He had been navigating on instincts and a vague hunch for the past few hours, so surreal the situation was. Luke and Leia were twins and Vader's offsprings? Nonsense, he would have thought just a day before. But it was the truth. What he had witnessed tonight left no doubt about it. It was true. In a flash of enhanced perception, Han Solo understood that whatever they have gotten themselves into, and whatever they would get into in the future, from this night until the end of the galaxy, they would get out of it together.

"I love you," he added at last. And that was the truth too.

The Princess turned away from him and walked into the rain.

Solo hesitated, still under the protection of the trees. There was a faint light now, or maybe his eyes had adapted completely to the darkness. He could see her, the rain splashing on her body casting a silvery halo around her.

With an impetuous gesture she loosened the cord that fastened the neckline of her dress and let the water pour down her cleavage. She raised her head, eyes closed tight, to let the drops fall on her face and opened her mouth slightly. Arms poised at her sides, her wet, unbound hair cascaded beyond her hips.

He had never seen anything more beautiful.

At last Han moved in front of her, blocking partially the falling droplets. Her tongue wiped across her lower lip and she finally opened her big dark eyes.

"The rain tastes different in every planet," she said.

Han Solo raised a brow. He had never stopped to taste the rain, anywhere. The rain for him meant being wet and cold, often with no chance of changing into warmer clothes. He had never liked the rain, until this day. This night.

"Do you love me?" He asked softly, his hands traveling up her arms, caressing them softly.

The big brown eyes framed in shimmering lashes answered without doubt or hesitation. "I do."

"Then marry me," he asked again.

She shook her head. "I can't..."

He took a long breath but before he could say anything, there were tiny fingers over his lips.

"I can't decide that right now, Han," the Princess continued, moving closer to him. Her fingers sled from his lips to the wet material of his shirt and then around his torso. "It wouldn't be fair..." Her other hand rounded his hips and she pressed herself to him, hiding her face. "For you, for me... There're so many things I still have to come to terms with, so many things we have to consider..."

He swallowed dry. "Like what?"

Leia Organa sighed. "I'm Force-sensitive, Han... Just like Luke." Her voice tensed. "Like..."

Her lover tipped her chin up, wanting her to look at him straight again. "And?" He asked matter-of-factly. "Are you going to use your hokey tricks to make me clean the Falcon or something?" A lopsided grin spread through his face.

"No!" Her eyes widened in distress. "It's just... I don't know what I'm going to do about that!"

Was it the rain or was she crying again? "Alright, alright..." Han Solo kissed her brow and hugged her tightly. Then he insisted, relentlessly. "How much time?"

"Uh?" Her eyebrows knitted in confusion.

"How much time do you need... A month? A year?" His lips sled up her jaw, making her shiver.

"Maybe a year, I don't know..." She gasped as he reached the sensitive spot below her ear.

"I'll take your word for it. A year." The tip of his nose touched gently hers, little rivulets sliding from his skin to hers.

"Okay," she breathed.

His kiss took her by surprise, even if it should have not. The sudden heat that suffused through her core made her quickly forget the rain, the war, Luke, Vader... There was only one place she wanted to be right now. With one person. The rest, she would deal with tomorrow.

"So, what you wanna do now, Princess?" Han asked at last, their arms still tight around each other. The rain came down softer now, the worst of the storm passed by.

"Do you think you can find the _Falcon_ from here?"

He shrugged. "Sure..."

"I want to go home..." she whispered.

Han Solo gave a sharp laugh and, with deftness, he swept her off her feet. Princess Leia squeaked, startled, and then surrendered to his strength.

"Home it is, Princess..." He pledged.

* * *

The song is of course not mine. It's **Freddie Mercury**'s _Guide Me Home_, from the album _Barcelona_. It provided a lot of inspiration for this story. Thanks, **Fred**! 


	18. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

The intercom in Leia Organa's office chirped twice.

"Yes, Winter?"

"Princess, the _Bail Organa_ has just dropped out of hyperspace. It will be in orbit in around an hour."

"Thank you!"

The Princess shut off the comm and hid had been two long months since she had seen him the last time. Two long months.

He was supposed to take a few days off three weeks ago, but things in the outer rim got complicated and he had to cancel it. She could barely believe how seriously Han took the obligations of command. She missed him dearly but at the same time she was so proud she wanted to dance in the streets. He was not only a natural leader like she had always known; he was also a responsible leader.

The next day was the first anniversary of the Battle of Endor and that was why Han had been finally called to Coruscant. This time, he would be the one delivering medals.

Without hesitation, she cancelled her appointments for the rest of the afternoon and quickly classified the reports on her desk in 'urgent' and 'can wait'. She was going through the last one classified as 'urgent' when her comm called again.

"Han!" she exclaimed as the image came to life.

"Hiya, sweetheart," Han Solo greeted, smiling warmly.

"I was just wrapping things up and heading home..." She started.

"Don't run. Look, Karan's baby came earlier... I mean, his wife gave birth earlier than expected, so I'm letting the kid go planetside now... Would you come up here to have dinner with me?"

The princess smiled sweetly. "Sure..."

"Great! The first shuttle will be down in..." He glanced at his chrono, "a little less than two hours. "You think you'll be ready?"

* * *

Leia dashed to their apartment, where she had lived mostly alone for the past few months, save a few visit her face in hers from Luke. She took a fresher, changed into something she had bought just the week before - in this little lingerie shop she had discovered - before dressing again, and gathered the few things she needed to spend the night at the _Bail Organa_. She arrived at the military spaceport just at the same moment the shuttle touched down.

She congratulated Han's second in command and was greeted by the crewmen and women that disembarked with him, to whom she had become a very familiar figure. Before boarding, her fingers traced the blue-over-white name painted on the hull.

Less than half an hour later the shuttle docked in the giant cruiser's bay. A young ensign saluted her martially. "Good afternoon, Ma'm! I have orders to escort you to the _Millenium Falcon_. "

She dismissed her escort at the bottom of the ramp. The hatch was open and a delicious smell drifted out through it. Leia's mouth watered. It was _granalisk_, Han's favorite soup that required six hours of slow simmering. She was about to enter the ship when something around the hatch caught her eye.

There were symbols carved around it, colored in transluscent green, one laced with the other like young branches and vines growing one around the other. It was written Shyriiwook, she realized. She racked her head, trying to remember the few lessons taken almost two years ago. If she was not mistaken, there were only three words, repeated time and again around the arch.

So focused was she in the writing that she barely noticed Han climbing the ramp surreptitiously. Suddenly, there were to strong arms around her waist and warm lips kissed her neck from behind.

"Hi, stranger," she greeted.

"Do you let all strangers kiss you neck like this?" Solo asked throatily.

"Some of them," she moaned. "If it's good for diplomacy..."

"Mean woman!" He chastised, tickling her.

The Princess tried to free herself, but Han simply lifted her feet from the plank. "Han, let me down!" She protested. Her heel brushed dangerously against his knee and he gave up, letting her stand again but without loosening his grip on her.

Her gaze turned again to the carving. "What does it mean?"

"This? I thought you could read it..." His hand guided hers over the symbols. "Han... loves..."

"Leia," she finished. "Oh, Godess!" Turning in his arms, she planted a passionate kiss on his lips, gripping his shoulders to pull her closer to him. Kissing on a ramp had its advantages.

"Whoa!" He sighed at last, satisfied.

The Princess chuckled, amused and deeply moved at the same time.

"If we go inside I'll show you my tattoo too..." He suggested wickedly, winking at her.

Leia Organa's eyes rounded. "You didn't..."

"I did," the Corellian affirmed smugly. "Last stop on Corellia," he added. He suddenly felt a slim hand traveling down his back. "Hey, no touching! It still hurts!"

The last Princess of Alderaan laughed and pulled him inside the Millenium Falcon. "Where's Chewie?" She asked breathlessly.

"Visiting his family," Han answered, pulling her shirttails out of her waistband. "You know he doesn't care for these formalities..."

"Hm-hm..." She was too busy undoing his buttons to answer.

"Which reminds me... " Han continued, sliding is hands under her top. "Do you know what day tomorrow is, besides Liberation Day?"

Her fingers stopped what they were doing and she lifted her eyes to him. "I do..." She whispered.

"Have you made up your mind?"

The Princess took a deep breath. "I have..."

Her liquid eyes told him all he needed to know. Slowly, he backed her against the panel and pushed the emergency lock of the Falcon.

They never made it to the Captain's cabin.

**THE END**

Thanks for reading:)


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